Washington Wine Highway
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA
Tasted Saturday, May 26, 2007 by last chance with 1,084 views
Introduction
This was the 2nd Annual Washington Wine Highway event. There were over 70 wineries and 30 restaurants that set up tasting booths in four regional pavilions on the grounds of Chateau Ste. Michelle. Each pavilion represented a viticultural area in Washington State. The pavilions were called Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley, and Puget Sound. The wineries were located in the pavilion where their facility was located.
Flight 1 - Fast Lane Upgrade Area (4 Notes)
There was a VIP area up front that you could buy a pass to get into. Since Barking Frog restaurant was in there along with DeLille, we wanted to go. It did seem a little funny that Chateau Ste. Michelle would put themselves in there when it was on their grounds, but whatever...
Flight 2 - Puget Sound Pavilion (11 Notes)
Flight 3 - Yakima Valley Pavilion (6 Notes)
Flight 4 - Columbia Valley Pavilion (6 Notes)
Flight 5 - Walla Walla Valley Pavilion (14 Notes)
Closing
This was a 2 day event, but we only attended the first day. The weather was beautiful when we were there, but it rained for the second day. Sure glad we went when we did.
There were so many great wineries here that it was impossible to get to them all - even in 2 days you couldn't hit them all. It really came down to picking the wineries that you really wanted to taste, or had no lines, and trying to grab enough food for sustanance along the way... These are the wineries that we weren't able to visit:
Puget Sound Pavilion
Cedergreen Cellars, Challenger Ridge, Columbia Winery, Covington Cellars, DiStefano Winery, Edmonds Winery, Fall Line Winery, Matthews Cellars, Northwest Totem Cellars, Nota Bene Cellars, Novelty Hill Winery, OS Winery, Page Cellars, Silver Lake, Willis Hall, XS Vintners
Yakima Valley
Apex Cellars, Hogue Cellars, Kana Winery, Kestrel Vintners, Naches Heights Vineyard, Pontin del Roza Winery, Sheridan Vineyard, Snoqualmie, Thurston Wolfe, Willow Crest Winery, Wilridge Winery
Columbia Valley
Chateau Faire Le Pont Winery, Columbia Crest, Gamache Vintners, Goose Ridge Estate Winery, Gordon Brothers Cellars, Hightower Cellars, Magnificent Wine Co., J. Bookwalter, Jones of Washington, Kiona Vineyards Winery, Ryan Patrick Vineyards, Saint Laurent Winery, Sandhill Winery, Vindulac Winery, White Heron Cellars
Walla Walla Valley
Basel Cellars, Bergevin Lane, DaMa Wines, Dusted Valley Vintners, Five Star Cellars, Forgeron Cellars, Glen Fiona, Isenhower Cellars, Pepper Bridge Winery, Seven Hills Winery, Stephenson Cellars, Three Rivers Winery, Va Piano Vineyards, Waterbrook Winery, Watermill Winery, Whitman Cellars
What a fun day!
2004 DeLille Cellars Doyenne Aix 91 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
The nose was lightly floral with spice and blackberry aromas. The palate revealed flavors of blackberry, cherry, mocha and some earth. Not quite as full bodied as the 05 barrel sample that we had at the Passport event, but at least medium to full bodied. Good mouthfeel and a medium to long finish. Very nice Syrah blend, and a good value.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2004 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate 92 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
On the nose there were aromas of candied cherries, plums, and smoky oak. The palate revealed flavors of blackberries and cherries, with earth, smoke, and spice nuances. Full bodied wine with a very nice mouthfeel and a medium long finish. I enjoy this vintage much more than the 01 or the 03 (the only other ones that I've tried). This wine was a great pairing with the little burgers that Chef Bobby Moore of the Barking Frog was serving next to the tent. It's hard to beat a burger that melts in your mouth and a glass of this wine. Definately one of the high points of the day.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle Syrah Limited Release Cold Creek Vineyard 84 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
The nose of this wine had plum, blackberry aromas with spice notes. The palate had dark fruit flavors with spice and some earth. The mouthfeel was a bit weak, and the finish was medium length. This wine was not very complex, or exciting, just a nice and good bottle of Syrah.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2004 Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot Ethos Reserve 92 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
The nose of this wine had brett, cherry, plum, and mocha aromas. The palate had flavors of cherry, blackberry, earth, and some herbs. Medium bodied wine with a medium long finish that was consistent with the palate. This was one of the best wines I have ever had from Chateau Ste. Michelle. It was very much like a nice Right Bank Merlot, though for the price, you might as well get a real Right Bank Merlot.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue