As noted earlier, Kathy and I transplanted ourselves from Seattle to the tiny East Bay city of Oakley. One of the largest wine playahs in the nation is Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, parent co. of the Chateau Ste. Michelle brand, and its palatial winery/tasting room/event facility/offices in Woodinville, just north of Seattle, Washington.
CSM’s wine club is a true class act, with a free annual wine-soaked outdoor concert for club members, and frequent limited-bottling club selections featuring small lots of varietals sourced from their contacts and vineyard holdings all over the state.
They’re a big, big corporate outfit, but their wines and customer service render them downright boutique.
For the last few vintages, they’ve bottled a Limited Release Columbia Valley Mourvèdre, which we’ve enjoyed, if only for the novelty and winemaking commitment to a varietal unusual for the Pacific Northwest. Unlike those in our Cali ‘hood, “old vines” in Washington state are in their early 30s, and the explosion in Rhone varietals specifically is younger still. It wasn’t that long ago in WA, that when a winemaker decided to bottle a varietal Cabernet Franc, it was downright exotic! So when CSM decides to put their winemaking muscle behind a Mourvèdre, hey, we’re there!
The 2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle bottling was a nice effort, exhibiting a few “look at me” qualities of earth, smoke and tannins.
And then Kath and I got it into our heads to compare this Pacific Northwest newbie with Cline’s 2008 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre made with grapes from their vineyard holdings in our neck of the woods. I wasn’t expecting something from century-old vines to be this smooth, though a couple of Pinot Noir-like notes (tar, rubber) punched through. It’s nice and bright on the palate, with sour cherry and blueberry juice components relaxing into a mocha vibe. The Cline was elegant and totally integrated.
It made the CSM taste simple and rustic, a complete role reversal for the city slicker and the grizzled farm hand.
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