Chateau Ste Michelle makes some the Pacific Northwest's most popular wines. Chateau Ste. Michelle's winemakers produce an array of highly rated, well priced red and white wines that have garnered scores of national and international awards.

This month we have a number of the Chateau Ste Michelle wines at great prices. Check out the Indian Wells Merlot, elsewhere on the web at $35!

“The Northwest Welcomes Back
Native Son Bob Bertheau”
“ Winemaker tapped to produce
white wine at Chateau Ste. Michelle”

Bill Bertheau in the Cellar

By Christina Kelly
Avalon Editor/Writer

Bill Bertheau says goodbye to the production of red wines in July when he moves his family north from the Sonoma Valley to take over white wine operations for Chateau Ste. Michelle, in Woodinville, WA.

He is also coming home.

The Seattle-born winemaker spent the last three years as vice president of winemaking at Hambrecht Vineyards & Wineries in Healdsburg, CA, producing wines for Belvedere, Branford Mountain, Floodgate and Carneros Creek wineries. Prior to Hambrecht, Bertheau worked at Chalk Hill and Hanzell wineries and spent a five-year stint making wines at Gallo of Sonoma.

Yet, in the back of his mind, he always wanted to return to the Northwest, where his parents and sister live.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in Seattle area and tasted a lot of Washington wines,” Bertheau said. “Ste. Michelle was a perfect fit.”

In fact, about five years ago, Bertheau learned that winemaker Mike Janiuk was leaving Chateau Ste. Michelle to open his own winery. He approached Stimson- Lane (Ste. Michelle parent company) about filling the position, but winemaker Erik Olsen had already been promoted as maker of white wines.

Ironically, Olsen announced earlier this year that he will become the new winemaker for Clos du Bois, a Sonoma-based winery.

“We’re like crossing ships,” joked Bertheau. “A while back, Erik and I joked that we should exchange jobs. My family was in Seattle, and his was in Sonoma, where he is from.”

Doug Gore, senior vice president of winemaking for Stimson-Lane, said he has known Bertheau for many years and always wanted him to come to work for the company.

“We know Bob and we know that he will do a great job for us,” Gore said. “He has the credentials, he has friends and family here, and he was ready to be here.”

The most popular Hambrecht Vineyards brand is Belvedere, which is best known for its excellent Sonoma County and Russian River Chardonnay. Bertheau also produced Burgundian-styled red and white wines at Hanzell and Chalk Hill, boutique producers of premium wines.

It was at the small wineries where Bertheau said he learned the techniques to make elegant white wines, including the use of natural yeasts, minimum filtration and “monitoring the heck out of the vineyards.”

While at Gallo of Sonoma, Bertheau said he produced a Laguna Ranch Chardonnay, a luscious, lean, crisp wine with concentrated citrus, apple and pear flavors. The fruit, he said, was amazing, enabling him to make what he says was one of his best wines.

Bertheau was also involved in the successful Rancho Zabaco zinfandels, Indigo Hills and other wineries owned by Gallo during his tenure.

“I’ve produced Chardonnay at every step of my career,” Bertheau said. “Now I am looking forward to the production of the aromatic wines such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer.”

Both Gore and Bertheau say the successful formula for white wines at Chateau Ste. Michelle will not shift drastically.

“He’ll put his mark on the wines,” said Gore. “He has a good touch, so there might be a little different look, a little different twist.”

Bertheau said it would take some time before he learns all of the vineyards for white wine and begins experimenting with blends.

“It’s like starting over with every winery you work at,” Bertheau explained. “You have to learn the vineyards and fruit. You follow the lead that the vineyard gives you. This first year, I am not changing the direction of the ship.

“What I do know is that Ste. Michelle has great fruit. It’s going to be very exciting to work with those vineyards, but they will eventually tell me how the wines should be made.”

Although Bertheau says he will miss making red wines, he has been reassured that he will be part of the team that makes decisions on blends and wines produced by all the Stimson Lane wineries.

Bertheau moves his wife Karen, a registered nurse, and his 5-year-old daughter Bonnie to Washington and likes the idea that his daughter will be raised in the same area where he spent some of his childhood years.

Bill, Karen, and daughter Bonnie

It is like coming full circle, said Bertheau, and he owes it to a small winery in Idaho, where he worked in the tasting room of Ste. Chapelle while earning a degree in chemistry at Boise State University. He has a masters of science in enology at the University of California at Davis.

“I can’t wait to see how Washington fruit will react to my techniques,” Bertheau said. “It’s going to be a great adventure in the Pacific Northwest.”

Chateau Saint Michelle's Vineyards
from the winery:

Chateau Ste. Michelle's vineyards are located in Washington state's Columbia Valley, a region separated from Seattle's rainy, marine climate by the Cascade Mountains. The mountains act as a rain shield limiting annual rainfall in the Columbia Valley to 6 - 8 inches and allowing our vineyard managers to control vine vigor through irrigation. During the summer, daytime temperatures hover in the mid-80s under sunny skies; cool nighttime temperatures in the fall protect the grapes' natural acidity and provide perfect conditions for ripening.

Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard

Canoe Ridge was formed 12 million years ago when a powerful river of lava flowed across the Columbia Valley. The ancient lava flows followed the Columbia River and left huge layers of basalt behind. Deep, free-draining soils sit on top of the basalt, deposited by great floods from the last Ice Age 13,000 years ago. The soils are a loose, sandy loam scattered with chunks of basalt. Young vines in search of water and nutrients easily establish deep root systems here.

Our vineyard is planted on the south face of the ridge that rises 950 feet above sea level. The steep slope and the vineyard's proximity to the river alleviate frost pockets and seasonal temperature extremes. Because winters are milder than other parts of the valley, spring bud break is earlier. In the summer, the river moderates temperatures again, giving us an extended growing season and adding more character to the grapes.

Flavor profiles
Chardonnay: Delicate; tropical fruit
Merlot: Black cherry, licorice
Cabernet Sauvignon: Juniper berry, cassis, black fruit

Cold Creek Vineyard

Cold Creek is one of the oldest vineyards in the Columbia Valley, and since we first planted here in 1973, it's developed quite a reputation for rich, flavorful grapes. The weak soil at Cold Creek - a silty loam - has a lot to do with the intensity of the fruit. Grape vines are an obstinate lot. Those grown in meager soils, like Cold Creek, tend to produce moderate crops and concentrated grapes. Cold Creek's soil is also lighter and drains easier than most other Columbia Valley vineyards. This is a real advantage for us, especially because Cold Creek is one of the driest sites in the state. Since it rarely rains here, we use irrigation to control water to the vine. We're stingy with it too because less water seems to dial up the grapes' flavor. The vineyard is one the warmest in the state, and this also makes a difference. Not only does Cold Creek provide us with fully mature fruit, the warm temperatures keep the berries small, adding intensity to the grapes at harvest.

Flavor profiles
Riesling: Apricot, honeysuckle, tangerine
Chardonnay: Classic pear, apple
Merlot: Ripe berry, mocha
Cabernet Sauvignon: Intense; cherry, raspberry

Horse Heaven
As its name suggestions, Horse Heaven Vineyard is located in the Horse Heaven Hills adjacent to the Columbia River 20 miles south of Prosser, Washington. The vineyard's quick-draining soils are deposited on a rocky volcanic base of fractured basalt. We first planted Sauvignon Blanc here in the 1980's on the south side of the vineyard. Irrigation management is an important part of the quality of the fruit we harvest. The area's low annual rainfall and the vineyard's free-draining soils allow us to control water to the vine to keep the Sauvignon Blanc from becoming overly aggressive.

Flavor profiles
Sauvignon Blanc: Grapefruit, tropical fruit

Indian Wells Vineyard

Indian Wells sits at the base of the Wahluke Slope and is one of the few west-facing vineyards in the Columbia Valley. With its rows planted north to south, the vines receive plenty of afternoon heat. The grapes take full advantage of these warm afternoons to assert ripe fruit flavors. The contrasting cool nights promote good structure, balance and color intensity.

At one time, the Columbia River flowed over what is now Indian Wells. A sizeable sandbar nearby is a reminder of the vineyard's origins; and the soil composition, a mix of river gravel and sand, reflects the river's ancient course. The soil here is sandier than the surrounding properties. Nutrient poor but well-aerated, the sandy cobble encourages vines to work hard to find water. These difficult conditions help to keep vegetative growth in check, encouraging the vine to put energy into its grapes first. The differences in flavor and varietal exuberance are marked, and you can taste them in the wines from Indian Wells.

Flavor profiles
Chardonnay: Crisp apple, pear
Merlot: Rich black fruit, raspberry

Reserve Vineyards

CSM uses the very best sections of their many vineyards to produce their highly regarded "reserve" wines.

If CSM's Single Vineyard wines are best described as representing "Old World" winemaking dedicated to terroir, then the Reserves are best expressed as "New World" winemaking dedicated to the grape.

Produced in extremely limited quantities representing no more than 1% of a vintage, CSM's Reserve wines are crafted to represent the best of a varietal. The most ideal sections of the best vineyards are identified based on their quality history, then farmed within winemaker specifications to insure the best fruit possible from each site.

These small lots of fruit are harvested and vinified separately. Prior to determining the final blend, the winemaker will taste each lot, create a variety of combinations and, listening to his own palette, choose the lots that will make up the finished wine. This allows CSM winemakers to combine the distinct characteristics from each vineyard into a multi-layered, harmonious blend producing an age-worthy wine of uncompromising quality and character.

Chateau Ste Michelle's Partnerships:
Col Solare and Eroica

Col Solare
Before there was a wine, there are an idea -- to form a partnership between Tuscany's Marchesi Antinori and Washington State's Chateau Ste. Michelle and together explore what the vineyards of the Columbia Valley might yield.

Col Solare is the result, a wine of global distinction that quickly earned a place in the critics' hearts with the debut of the 1995 and 1996 vintages.

A blended red wine with great structure and character from the vineyards of the Columbia Valley, Col Solare is styled for aging elegantly over time. Quantities are extremely limited.

Antinori is one of Italy's most important producers. Though the family has been making wines since the 14th century, Piero Antinori has never let tradition stand in the way of innovation. He pioneered Super Tuscan wines such as Tignanello and holds vineyards in not only Tuscany but also Piedmont, Umbria, California and Hungary.

View an excellent quality video about Col Solare
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Eroica
Could Eroica be the beginning of the Riesling Renaissance many wine lovers believe is long overdue? Named after Beethoven's masterpiece, the winemaking partnership between famed Mosel winemaker Dr. Ernst Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle enjoyed a standing ovation at the August 2000 debut of the 1999 vintage. The partnership is dedicated to exploring a wide range of Riesling styles with grapes from the Columbia Valley.

The estate of Dr. Loosen owns some of the most renowned sites on the Mosel in Wehlen, Urzig and Erden and is acclaimed as one of Germany's most consistent quality producers across a range of styles, from dry to sweet.

Everything is coming up Riesling
By Christina Kelly
Avalon Staff Writer

The first time I saw Eroica, a new Riesling made by Chateau Ste. Michelle, I thought the label read, "Erotica."

"I’ll take two of those," I said to the clerk, grinning from ear to ear, oblivious to my dyslexia.

read the entire article here