As a novice wine professional upon my arrival to the Pacific Northwest nearly two decades ago, I unwittingly absorbed the opinion of my peers: Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville was too big, too corporate and a winery to largely disregard. Contagion of the innocent and inexperienced.
Life progressed, and I found myself deep in the trenches of the wine and culinary world, waking up one morning to realize Chateau Ste. Michelle makes solid wines – and it’s the reason Washington state is even on the map. It was an epiphany. This is when my oenological backbone solidified and confidence made its budding appearance.
Recently, historic things have happened with this iconic winery.
But first, a little history. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the oldest winery in Washington state.
A winery born of the American success story, from 118 acres of a former hunting and business retreat called Hollywood Farm: Two Prohibition-era surviving wine companies joined together with a vision to put Washington state on the wine-world map. They ended up doing just that.
Pommerelle Wine Co. and National Wine Company merged in 1954, then birthed the modern brand in 1967 after being advised to plant cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and riesling by the exemplary winemaking “maestro” André Tchelistcheff (a man worthy of his own biopic: André: The Voice of Wine). In 1976, the Chateau was opened – a picture-perfect French-style chateau a mere half-hour from Seattle.
Chateau Ste. Michelle has changed hands over the years, being sold to Altria (Philip Morris’s parent company) and Sycamore Partners, among others. As of December 2025, it is now in hands of the Wyckoff family – the first time in 50 years it has been locally owned.
The Wyckoffs have had a long-standing relationship with Chateau Ste. Michelle, growing wine grapes since 1980, and have shared the same values: creating innovative, sustainable wines while honoring heritage and craftsmanship.
Some cool statistics: Chateau Ste. Michelle is the leading producer of riesling by volume in the U.S., producing over 2 million cases of wine per year, and is available in all 50 states and 100 countries. They also put on an annual summer concert series at their chateau in Woodinville less than two hours from Blaine and Birch Bay. I highly recommend this experience.
Two of the wines featured have not yet been released (you’re getting a sneak peek), and the Chateau Ste. Michelle picks are widely available in grocery stores and wine shops.
Tasting notes: Scents of key lime, plumeria, ripe apricot, and a hint of petrol precede a palate of pink grapefruit, starfruit and Lemonheads.
Pairing suggestions: Watermelon salad, chicken piccata, pecorino cheese, tabbouleh, vanilla bean crème brûlée.
Song pair: “Message in a Bottle” by The Police
Tasting notes: Nose of allspice, Castelvetrano olives, fennel and dehydrated plum introduce a full-bodied mouthfeel with cracked pepper, blackberry compote, mushrooms, and ripe Bing cherries. At the 30-minute mark, freshly churned butter and pomegranate add to the complexity of this wine. Smooth finish.
Pairing suggestion: Braised short ribs, tomahawk steak, borscht, wilted arugula salad, chocolate torte.
Song pair: “You Can Do Magic” by America
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2024
Dry Riesling, Columbia Valley
Tasting notes: White-fleshed peach scents jump out of the glass, accompanied by daffodils, honeydew melon and beeswax. The palate shows starfruit, kiwi and honey with a bright, lemony finish.
Pairing suggestion: Garden salad, pesto salmon pasta, cream of mushroom soup, Dungeness crab, strawberry shortcake.
Song pair: “Earth Song” by Michael Jackson
Tasting notes: Dark cherry compote, pantry spices, licorice, and cold forest morning aromas give way to a velvety palate of red roses, brown butter, desiccated dark fruits, molasses and cranberry pound cake.
Pairing suggestion: Margherita flatbread, applewood-smoked bacon hamburger, veal Marsala, blue cheese-walnut apple-vinegar salad, baklava.
Song pair: “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” by Sophie B. Hawkins
And to leave you with another fun fact about the winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle isn’t named after a person holding the name Michelle. It was chosen merely because it had an old-world sound and a refined winemaking aura about it.
The winery has an extensive online shop with bulk discounts and savings when you sign up to receive its newsletter as well as a multiple-tiered wine club: ste-michelle.com.
Washington state has a bright future in wine with this exciting change of hands to the Wyckhoff family and we get to be the recipient of continued exceptional products from our very own backyard.
Amberleigh Brownson is the assistant winemaker for GLM Winery. She is also a 10-year wine judge and four-time Wine Spectator award winner recipient.
