CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE REACHES GOLDEN MILESTONE
Washington state winery says cheers to 50 years of production
As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, Washington state winery Chateau Ste. Michelle has been looking back to see what the future holds. At a recent dinner in Toronto, head winemaker Bob Bertheau started by asking what the assembled knew about the place he calls home.
“When you think of Washington state, what are some of the stereotypes you think of ?” asked Bertheau, who traded California for Washington state 14 years ago and never looked back.
Dinner guests were quick to answer that Washington state called to mind rain, apples and cherries, as well as Seattlebased companies like Amazon and Starbucks. The winemaker smiled, saying he was impressed by their knowledge.
“All of those things you think of are all on the west side of the state, where it does rain a lot and there are lot of people and a lot of traffic,” he explained. “But ... I’m going to take you a four-hour drive — three hours and 58 minutes when I set my cruise control — across the Cascade Mountains to the east side where we grow all of the grapes.”
Founded in 1967, Ste. Michelle
Vintners was established in Woodinville, Wash. It became known as Chateau Ste. Michelle after the French-style building was completed in 1976. The first vineyards were introduced in the eastern part of the state in 1972.
Today, Chateau Ste. Michelle operates two facilities. White wine is made at the original winery and hospitality centre near Seattle, while red wines are crafted near the eastern vineyards.
Another talking point for Bertheau was how well the wines age, particularly the red wines produced with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. To illustrate his point, he poured the current vintage of his wines alongside examples from 2003, 2004 or 2005. The older examples ranked as the most impressive wines of the night.
“I was telling this story recently in Düsseldorf, Germany, at ProWein and they’re not as impressed with 50 years over there in the old world,” Bertheau said lightheartedly. “But here it’s a salient moment.”