My Chateau
Chateau Ste. Michelle - Food and wine pairing made easy!
For years, while I was in the retail wine business, people would ask me for food and wine pairing advice that ranged from the simple -- what wine matches Coq au Vin -- to the remarkably esoteric: What white wine goes with Filet Mignon, served sashimi style? (Don’t ask. Thankfully, I did not attend that dinner!)
Of course, pairing the right wine with the right food makes both taste better, so I loved spending the time with customers looking for tips. Anything that increases the appreciation of a fine glass of wine has got to be worth the effort, especially when it’s as easy as visiting ste-michelle.com/mychateau. Not only can you track your wines at My Chateau, but you can find incredible, spot-on wine pairing advice whether you're looking for a wine to go with your favorite dishes or a dish to go with that favorite bottle of wine!
Chateau Ste. Michelle’s wine pairing app gives you a wine's flavor profile and lets you know why certain wines pair well with certain dishes. It's not only a tool to help guide you towards specific dishes, but it also gives you all the info you need to help you learn why pairings work. Pretty soon you’ll be a master of food and wine pairings yourself! So what should we be pairing with that Riesling? Check out ste-michelle.com/mychateau and find out.
Chateau Ste. Michelle
With roots that stretch back to the repeal of prohibition, it's no surprise that Chateau Ste. Michelle is one of Washington State's premier wineries. Their commitment to quality isn't limited to their attention in the vineyards (with their decades-old vines in prime areas such as the Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge Estate vineyards, no one has access to finer fruit in the state) but extends through every step of the winemaking process. Chateau Ste. Michelle even has separate winemaking facilities for red and white wines, each customized for the unique red or white focus. And by the way, those vineyards, Cold Creek and Canoe Ridge Estate, earned third party sustainable certification for LIVE and Salmon Safe in the fall of 2009. So rest assured that
Chateau Ste. Michelle's commitment to you, the consumer, doesn't end at the bottom of each bottle, but extends through the lands we love and share.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Current Releases
2009 Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
Nice green herb nose with a touch of chili accenting the grapefruity tone that rises above a spicy, perfumed floral tone on the nose. This is fairly rich in the mouth, almost lush yet with vibrant acids that keep the wine from overwhelming the palate. The flavors are deep and fresh, redolent of peach with hints of lime and orange zest. The finish is crisp and fairly long with a nice fruity finale. A bolder style of Sauvignon that remains quite fruit-driven without leaning too heavily to the grassy end of the spectrum. 90pts
2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Dry Riesling
This is intensely floral, full of honeysuckle and acacia tones and absolutely redolent of sweet limes, with a very soft, almost minty oregano note floating in the background. Fairly dry, but retaining enough sugar to add some flesh on the palate, this has razor sharp acids that lurk just under the rich, ripe citrus fruits. It lacks a touch of complexity on the mid-palate but finishes with excellent length with sweeping acids and grace notes of orange and mineral. Riesling is always an easy recommendation for spicy dishes and this seems ideal for Thai and Vietnamese food. 89pts
2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Chardonnay
Fairly smoky on the nose at first with backing notes of dried orchard fruits, butterscotch, dried grasses, and a touch of smoked ham. Rather elegant on entry with a soft touch of sweet wood adding an initial roundness to the palate feel. The mid-palate shows more obvious wood and while the wine is fresh and retains a sense of elegance, it does have an assertive edge to the flavor profile. The finish shows more freshness with a touch of honeycomb accenting the fresh Asian pear and bright green apple tones that linger on the moderately long finish. This would be a fine match for grilled salmon. 88pts
2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Estate Merlot
The nose on this shows excellent precision and while there is a touch of noticeable oak, it acts to help frame the fruit and gives the cocoa and wild cherry nose a nice touch of roasted nuttiness. Very soft and smooth on entry with a gentle feel that slowly spreads out on the palate. The cocoa tones are more prominent on the palate and the fruit leans more toward a spice plum tone with a nice bed of tannins adding some stiffness under the fruit. Interesting mocha tones on the moderately long finish blend with a toasted hazelnut edge to give this a complex finale. A fairly refined effort, and one that can improve over the short-term but already delivers an elegant drinking experience. Ideally suited for more delicate red meats such as Filet Mignon. 89pts
2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon
A bit of wood spice greets the nose followed by notes of coffee, rich earth, and liquory black currant fruit with just the faintest herbal top note adding some detail. On entry this is rich with a lush, black currant fruit character. The acids keep this bright and the finely-managed tannins add some mouth grab to the otherwise seamless feel. There are lovely cigarbox spice notes in the mouth with touch of burnt sugar and a mellow roasted herb tone that weaves through the mid-palate and turns a touch mintier on the backend. The finish is long with refreshing tannins and lingering spice tones that accent the bright, slightly wild fruit on the finale. A well-balanced, yet fairly rich wine that can stand up to richer red meats like grilled steaks and braised dishes. 91pts
This smells downright seductive with nuanced notes of crisp baking apple, mineral, almost a touch of spicy cinnamon, with notes of lemon verbena and bay leaf. While not totally dry this is blessed with very assertive acids that help reinforce the wonderful deep and fresh core of wild apple fruit with deep mineral cut and lovely precision that extends over the long finish. This is just so zesty and pure with a wonderful vibrancy that makes this delicious on its own and a great match for lightly salty/fatty bites like prosciutto or mature washed rind cheeses. 91pts
Great wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle
