Wine & Spirits magazine named Chateau Ste. Michelle as one of its “Wineries of the Year” for the 18th time, making it the most honored American winery and the second most honored winery overall in the past 26 years, according to a news release by Chateau Ste. Michelle.
The article highlighted Chateau Ste. Michelle's wine quality and consistency:
...With 3,500 planted acres, plus numerous grower contracts, the company does reach its arms across Washington's vast Columbia Valley. That scope enables Chateau Ste. Michelle to deliver astonishing consistency and value, and its widely distributed Columbia Valley appellation wines serve as the standard-bearers for the region.
But there's much more to Chateau Ste. Michelle than reliability. Take the flagship riesling, Eroica, produced in concert with Ernst Loosen. Loosen travels from the Mosel twice every year to join winemaker Bob Bertheau for his annual vineyard visits (August) and blending session (December), and the resulting wine is consistently one of the most powerful and complex Rieslings produced in the United States....
The Ethos tier, which Bertheau started in 2003 when he came to the winery, is effectively the winery's reserve line. He aims to showcase vintage character and the power and complexity that Washington State fruit has to offer. ...These deep, resonant wines will reveal their depths best with some time in the cellar.
In 2012, Wine & Spirits panels and critics tasted 12,000 wines to select the 100 Wineries of the Year.
"Over the 26 years we've been tracking winery performances, some producers have come to the top again and again. ...If you're looking for a brand you can trust or a new wine to try, it's hard to imagine a better place to start."
Chateau Ste. Michelle received Wine & Spirits "Wineries of the Year" honors for '88, '89, '90, '97, '99, '00, '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11. '12, '13.
