Chateau Ste. Michelle

Chateau Ste. Michelle is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, wineries in Washington. The company produces a wide range of wines from grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay, but it is best known for its high-quality wines made from Riesling.

It was founded as the American Wine Growers in 1954 by the merger of two companies that were set up following the repeal of Prohibition in the 1930s: the National Wine Company and the Pomerelle Wine Company. Before the merger, the National Wine Company had planted Vitis vinifera grapes in the Columbia Valley. However it was legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff, as a consultant, who introduced higher quality vinifera wines in 1967. These were produced under the name Ste. Michelle Vintners and the first wines released were Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Semillon and Grenache.

In 1974, two years before the Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting set up by the Los Angeles Times awarded first place to a Ste. Michelle Vintners Riesling, over wines from Germany and California. This brought national attention to the producer, and cemented Riesling's success in the region. In 1976, the name was changed to Chateau Ste. Michelle. The winery has since achieved international acclaim.

Chateau Ste. Michelle has three estate vineyards all in the Columbia Valley AVA – Cold Creek, Horse Heaven and Canoe Ridge. Both the Horse Heaven and Canoe Ridge vineyards are in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, while Cold Creek is just north of the Yakima Valley. Both the Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge vineyards have been certified LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon Safe (healthy practices to keep Pacific Northwest rivers clean) since 2009.

The business has grown considerably since its beginnings, entering into several partnerships and acquisitions. Columbia Crest Winery opened in 1983 as a second Washington label, and Ste. Michelle bought Erath in Oregon in 2006. In 1995, the company formed a partnership with Antinori to make luxury Cabernet Sauvignon under the label Col Solare. Then in 1999, Ste. Michelle began to make Eroica, a high quality Riesling from the Columbia Valley with Ernst Loosen. It also hosts the largest dedicated Riesling event in the United States: the Riesling Rendezvous. Most recently, in 2016 the company purchased Sonoma-based Pinot Noir and Chardonnay house Patz & Hall.