Today we present one of the famed Washington wine houses. Chateau Ste. Michelle has been a pillar of consistency over the past twenty plus years gaining awards and accolades from virtually every wine publication. There have been many changes at this house including working towards wines with lower calories and lower alcohol levels. I spent the afternoon with their team and we chatted about what this process has been like for them. They mentioned that since 2018 the winemaking team was working on finding lower alcohol wines and worked on it over several years. The brand team came to winemaker Katie Nelson and she described this process. She noted “It is not easy to make a wine with lower calories. 80 calories and 9% alcohol and we go out to the vineyards and look at the grapes that are naturally lower in alcohol. We take it into reverse osmosis and end up with a lower alcohol wine with also lower sugar. We are looking at balance in the wine and you have to be careful with alcohol and we look at balance and texture.” She stated “we talk about the younger consumer but I can’y tell you how many times that we hear from older people that we can’t drink higher alcohol wines. We have had great press from that.” She explained “For this wine we are sourcing from the Yakima Valley because we want a wine that is lower alcohol and a cooler site. The same is true for the Chardonnay.”
I haven’t been tasting many lower alcohol and lower calorie wines but these are definitely the best that I have tasted yet. I really enjoy the 2023 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Light’ Sauvignon Blanc (OB, 89) which is crisp yet maintains a really nice texture. The best wine I tasted in the tasting was the 2020 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘XLC’ Riesling (OB, 94) which is a legit GG style wine that is dense, heady and full of texture. This is a world-class Riesling. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://www.ste-michelle.com/ and here are my reviews of the new wines by Chateau Ste. Michelle.
2023 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Light’ Sauvignon Blanc- Only 80 calories, the 2022 ‘Light’ Sauvignon Blanc was stored in stainless steel before bottling. Right away this shows gooseberry and kiwi on the nose alongside green apple notes. The palate shows wonderful bright acidity crisp pink grapefruit zest, Gravenstein apple and copious minerals with a smooth texture. Drink 2024-2028- 89
2023 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Light’ Chardonnay- This 2023 ‘Light’ Chardonnay was barrel fermented in neural oak before bottling. The wine is soft and approachable with pear and apple flavors with green melon notes and minerals. Drink 2024-2028- 88
2020 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘XLC’ Riesling- The 2020 ‘XLC’ comes form the Evergreen Vineyard. At the end of the season their favorite block is picked for this wine and then the wine is given native yeast fermentation and was stored in oak tank for two years and is later released three years later. The wine is made in a Trocken style, as this opens with petrol and white flowers on the nose alongside lemon rind and ripe peach. The palate is lithe and polished with a bright sense of acidity. Soft and broad-shouldered, this is a gorgeous rendition of this wine that is showing beautifully. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Eroica’ Riesling- The 2022 ‘Eroica’ was given 2G/L residual sugar. Honeydew melon and bight pear mark the nose alongside orange blossom notes. The palate is fresh and smooth with bright sense of tension and mouth-watering acidity. This is nearly impossible to put down when opened. Drink 2024-2030- 93
2022 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Canoe Ridge Vineyard’ Chardonnay- The 2022 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Canoe Ridge Vineyard’ Chardonnay was stored in only 15% new French oak before bottling. The palate is fresh and nicely textured with baking spice dusted pie crust and bright pear alongside shades of marzipan on the palate. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2019 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Cold Creek Vineyard’ Merlot- This outstanding Merlot was stored for 18 months in 37% new French oak before bottling. Juicy and soft on the mouth, this delivers bright Bing cherry and red raspberry flavors that combine with shades of salty and loamy soils. This is already nicely evolved stuff. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2021 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Indian Wells Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 Indian Wells was made with 84% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Syrah. Stored in a combination of French and American oak, this is delicious, full-bodied wine this shows roasted dates, espresso grounds, dark chocolate shavings and shades of black licorice on the palate. Really good now, enjoy over the next six plus years to come. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2021 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Cold Creek Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Coming from this site planted back in 1973, the 100% varietal anew opens with a beautiful bouquet of black florals, tar and tobacco leaf on the nose. The palate is polished and well-structured with a delightful core of black fruit flavors. Delicious now, savor this beautiful wine over the next eight plus years. Drink 2024-2032-93
2019 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Ethos’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The beautiful, 100% varietal 2019 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Ethos’ Cabernet Sauvignon was stored in 56% new French oak before bottling. Tar, mocha, anise and black currants all mark the nose. The palate is smooth and shows good richness considering the coolness of the vintage. Well-structured and tannic, this has a long way to go. Drink 2024-2036- 93
2020 Chateau Ste. Michelle ‘Artist Series’ Red Wine- The 2020 ‘Artist Series’ is a beautiful red wine that is made from near equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with small parts Malbec and a touch of Cabernet Franc. This is soft and approachable now with dried herbs, bitter chocolate, anise, black currants and toasty oak on the palate. This is a really nice effort considering the challenges of the vintage. Drink 2024-2028- 91