Chateau Ste. Michelle, which maintains it is Washington’s oldest and most acclaimed winery, is located in Woodinville, a north Seattle suburb home to a number of wineries. These wineries grow their grapes in the eastern parts of the state, but host visitors at their headquarters and tasting rooms in Woodinville. Chateau Ste. Michelle’s tasting room is located on a large tract of land with a beautiful chateau-style building. The tasting room itself is rather large with a sleek, modern look–concrete floors, dark colors, marble countertops, rich wood stylings, and minimalist lighting.

In the tasting room, the winery provides a number of different flight options, ranging from the feature flight with reserve and limited release wines to the more reserved tastings. We sampled four different wines from Chateau Ste. Michelle’s reserve and limited release collection–a sauvignon blanc, a chardonnay, a cabernet sauvignon, and a red blend–and afterward and enjoyed a few other wines that our server recommended and provided for us, including a malbec and a riesling that we enjoyed very much. After our flight, we shared a meat board and a cheese board, both of which were artfully prepared. For those wanting a little more substance, the winery offers a small menu of several other items, featuring artisanal ingredients. We also shared a bottle of vintage riesling, which was excellent.

Chateau Ste. Michelle offers an enormous variety of wines from which patrons can choose to drink in the tasting room, on the grounds of the estate, or to take home. In addition, the winery has a number of experiences from which visitors can select, including tours of the grounds, special tasting experiences, interactions with the wine process, and other tasting experiences in special places on the estate. There is certainly something for everyone at Chateau Ste. Michelle.

A visit to Chateau Ste. Michelle is a fun way to spend an afternoon, checking out the lovely grounds of the property and trying some of their wine. If you are interested in wine, especially getting to try some Washington state wine, we recommend a tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle.