Behind the Cork™ - Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot

2017 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot ($18)

Built on the 1912 estate owned by Seattle lumber baron Frederick Stimson, the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery’s roots date back to the Repeal of Prohibition.

With more than 50 years of winemaking, Chateau Ste. Michelle is one of the few premium wineries in the world with two state-of-the-art wineries, one for red and one for white. The whites are made at the Chateau in Woodinville, WA, while the reds are made at the Canoe Ridge Estate winery in Eastern Washington.

The grapes for this wine were sourced from the Indian Wells Vineyard, along with a variety of other warm-climate Washington vineyards that range from the Wahluke Slope to Cold Creek Vineyard.

The 2017 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot is produced from 89% Merlot, 10% Syrah, 1% Viognier. The grapes were de-stemmed and sorted. Gentle pump-overs were used to extract optimal flavor and color, and minimize harsh tannins. It was then aged for 18 months in 28% new American and 5% new French oak barrels.

This wine is medium-ruby in color with bright aromas of red and black fruits. On the palate it is a full-bodied, fruit-forward, wine with nice complexity, medium tannin and a lingering finish.

This 2017 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot is affordable and attainable, make it a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week

2014 14 Hands Columbia Valley Stampede Red Blend ($9)

I've recently read some nice things about 14 Hands Winery and, never having had their wines, I thought I'd give this one a try.

The Stampede Red Blend is a combination of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mouvèdre. Oh, and Viognier.  Yes, Viognier, a medium to full-bodied white wine that gives a bit of an aromatic kick to the Syrah base.

Each variety was vinified and aged separately in mostly neutral French and American oak for nearly two years with blending occurring just prior to bottling.

Right out of the bottle, this blend exhibited big red fruit aromas and the full-bodied flavors that are expected with a Syrah. Along plenty of tannin.

After decanting for an hour this wine really settled down and exhibited some smoothness and subtle hints of its oak aging.

This 2014 Stampede Red Blend received 88 points from Wine Enthusiast and 89 points from Wine Spectator. Very nice ratings, especially for $9 bottle of wine.  So, another great value wine. Check it out.

Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week

2014 Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay ($11)

This Chardonnay, from Washington's Columbia Valley, not only has great flavors of pineapple and mango, but add rich flavors of butterscotch and caramel from its fermentation and oak aging. Bob Bertheau, the Head Winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle, describes this as his tropical Chardonnay and goes on to describe it as his "Pineapple Upside Down Chardonnay" that is fermented in both French and American oak.

This is a really good Chardonnay and, as always, a great value.

Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week

2014 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling ($7)

This Riesling out of Columbia Valley is refreshing with flavors of peach and lime. This is considered somewhere between a medium-dry and medium-sweet wine and the 12% alcohol level confirms that there is some residual sugar in this one.  This makes a great pairing with spicy foods, while working well with any poultry dish and can be simply be enjoyed with some flavorful white cheeses.

Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week

2014 Charles & Charles Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah ($12)

This red blend from Washington State's Columbia Valley is another from Charles Smith, this time in collaboration with Charles Bieler. Although having the requisite 75% of Cabernet Sauvignon to be labeled as Cabernet Sauvignon, this pair has chosen to identify both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Syrah (the other 25%) on the label. They describe it as "...bringing together the structure and dense black currant flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon and the sumptuous dark fruit and spice of whole cluster Syrah."  This is a big and bold red that is very nicely done and a great value. Enjoy a glass with some bold cheeses, BBQ or a steak.