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St. Michelle Merlot Cold Creek United States Washington Columbia Valley Red 2007

Member Review by Eric Guido:

On the nose, I found plum and blueberry with sweet spices and an underlying dark soil and chalk note that kept it rooted in the earth. On the palate, it was full-bodied with velvety textures, showing excellent balance with a mix of cherry and cranberry, herbs and bitter dark chocolate. The finish showed plums, green pepper and saline minerals with a slight tug of tannin reminding me of its fine structure. (92 points)

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Region: USA » Washington » Cold Creek

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Winery: Chateau Ste. Michelle

Color: Red

Varietal: Merlot

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Chateau Ste. Michelle:

You’d be hard-pressed (just like the grapes!) to find a more influential winery than Chateau Ste. Michelle. It’s Washington State’s oldest winery, getting its start when Pommerelle Wine Company and the National Wine Company merged in 1954 to form the American Wine Growers. From there, they created a premium line of vinifera wines in 1967 called “Ste. Michelle Vintners,” under the direction of Andre Tchelistcheff, which is where Ste. Michelle really took off. Their first vines were planted at the now-legendary Cold Creek Vineyard in Eastern Washington in 1972. When a French style chateau was built in Woodinville by Ste. Michelle Vintners in 1976, the winery finally became known as Chateau Ste. Michelle. The terroir is very important for Chateau Ste. Michelle. Columbia Valley isn’t just important because they have over 3,500 acres under vine there - they love the land, and they even helped to make it recognized as an American Viticulture Area (AVA). Columbia Valley produces more Riesling than any other American region, and Chateau Ste. Michelle leads that charge as the leading North American Riesling producer. Chateau Ste. Michelle is known for its award-winning Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, but it didn’t become great magically. They actually have two separate wineries, one for making whites, and another for making reds, which allows them to have complete control of the process. In fact, they’re so serious about the difference that they have dedicated winemakers for each color. While Bob Bertheau is their head winemaker who oversees all wine, Joshua Maloney oversees only the red wines, and Wendy Stuckey cares for the white. This allows Chateau Ste. Michelle to consistently create world-class wines that never fail to surprise judges. Read less

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