Chateau Ste. Michelle, Artist Series Meritage, Columbia Valley
Chateau Ste. Michelle · Washington › Columbia Valley › United States of America
Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
89
/100
Reviews
24
professional
Vintages
No vintages
NV
Community Reviews
3131
Reviews
88.7
Avg Score
96
Highest
Taster #6171
· Aug 7, 2025
93/100
Going strong right now. Good fruit, richness and backbone. Above average in quality. Above average in value at $50.
2015 vintage
Taster #6171
· Jan 29, 2025
Soft and juicy and ready to go now. Still with good structure.
2015 vintage
Taster #0099
· Jul 6, 2024
92/100
P-N-P. Solid fruit as expected, and consistent with blend. Tannins in thin, round shoelaces - not fine threads - but still providing adequate structure. Mouthfeel as medium to med-full; length is medium. Good fore and aft balance. Drinking well now.
2015 vintage
Taster #5730
· Feb 28, 2023
92/100
28032023 - impromptu dinner session with the usual suspects at Wun Nam. One year in after having this. Felt this time drinking much better. Popped this & bottle breathe 3 hrs before 1st pour. Much denser and more weight + structure on the palate. Black fruit, some cassis, blue berries, black currant, hint of vanilla, tobacco & sweet oak. This is bold and held very well. Chewy tannins with chalky mouthfeel but superb long finish. My 1st bot of the …
2015 vintage
Taster #9483
· Jul 9, 2022
87/100
Cherry and blackberry on the palate with quite a restrained nose, lacking in the acidity I craved with Chef Mikas wagyu steak! Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE), the largest winery in Pacific Northwest and 3rd-largest premium winery in the country, was sold to Sycamore Partners this year,2022. Bottle 6 of 23 over our Genting Sempah early birthday staycation, and the first USA wine unveiled this trip. Who could have guessed.. Washinton's Columbia Valley, near Seattle! Thanks @Joe Yee Wong bro. …
2015 vintage
Taster #5274
· Jun 5, 2022
Tannins integrating well, slightly less dusty than a couple of years ago Smooth bramble, a little leather and cedar
2015 vintage
Taster #5730
· Apr 19, 2022
90/100
Deep ruby core with medium intensity trimmings at its edges. Imminent dark fruit right away with plenty of blackcurrant, cassis followed with oak, dark chocolate, leather & white pepper. This wine is pretty much ready to drink but giving it an hour in the decanter opened it to different layers of flavors and complexity. Medium acidity and full bodied, it has fleshy & chewy tannins which provides an elongated juicy combination of dark fruit, graphite and dark spices finish
2015 vintage
Taster #5826
· Apr 3, 2021
96/100
Starting to get raisin under tones. Time to drink. Leather, dark cherry
2002 vintage
Taster #2339
· Nov 9, 2020
92/100
Surprisingly good Right Bank domestic blend. Fooled me!
2015 vintage
Taster #5274
· Mar 21, 2020
Cedar notes on nose Smooth oak texture, nice spice, soft tannins, good acidity
2015 vintage
Taster #6154
· Oct 21, 2018
Did not buy
2015 vintage
Taster #3290
· Feb 16, 2017
90/100
Still drinking quite nicely.
2005 vintage
Taster #1243
· Jan 30, 2016
1/30/16. Well integrated red with cherries first and jam later. Soft tannins.
2002 vintage
Taster #3684
· Jul 12, 2015
Drink quick, it's just past its peak. In an hour it falls flat.
2005 vintage
Taster #4723
· Jul 19, 2014
91/100
Very smooth and good depth; multiple layers of flavor blended extremely well. Think I will let the next bottle age a bit more.
2005 vintage
Taster #5020
· Oct 5, 2013
Older Washington Wines (Acadia, Portland, OR) : Ethiopian espresso on the nose, then sweet red cherries on the palate, some graham cracker, then dark chocolate on the finish. Glad we drank this last of the reds in the lineup.
2002 vintage
Taster #3848
· Sep 5, 2013
89/100
A very nice ready to drink meritage. Cedar, blackberry and lead pencil on the nose and palate.
2005 vintage
Taster #5274
· Dec 22, 2012
90/100
Garnet; lovely nose with cedar back notes. Beautifully balanced dark fruit and gentle tannins which linger on back of palate
2005 vintage
Taster #8924
· Oct 12, 2012
86/100
Nice and light. Cherry beam and grilled meat on the nose. Light fruit, a bit of heat on the finish. Good - paired with a NY Strip and then dark chocolate for desert. Good, but not great.
2005 vintage
Taster #1101
· Mar 21, 2012
90/100
other than the cork falling apart when attempting to extract this wine was surprisingly very good. Still has very nice soft tannins and dark fruit that develops over time
2002 vintage
Taster #5422
· Jan 14, 2012
92/100
PNP excellent
2005 vintage
Taster #5422
· Jun 4, 2011
88/100
Needs more time, tight and tannic after a 3 hour decant.
2005 vintage
Taster #2358
· Jan 3, 2010
84/100
Yet another confirmation that this is the worst Meritage amongst its Ste Michelle peers.
2002 vintage
Taster #8299
· Nov 29, 2009
90/100
Decanted for 2 hours. Lovely. Perfectly balanced
2005 vintage
Taster #7401
· Nov 27, 2009
90/100
Decanted, let breathe and it was fantastic. Should be good for years.
2005 vintage
Taster #2358
· May 7, 2009
82/100
The worst meritage from ste. michelle that I have had, we didn't dump it out, we drank it, and as far as wine goes, it wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't good considering the price.
2002 vintage
Taster #5422
· Oct 15, 2008
88/100
Enjoyed with a NY Strip, good but will wait a few years before opening again.
2005 vintage
Taster #7797
· Nov 22, 2007
82/100
Had a glass and decided to cook with the remainder after the wine started to deteriorate a bit. Braised beef-ribs w/rosemary & chocolate.
2002 vintage
Taster #6311
· Oct 27, 2007
87/100
Believe it or not this got better with some time in the bottle. It kicked off some serious sediment and perhaps that shedding of the tannins contributed to the smoother feel of the wine.
2002 vintage
Taster #6311
· Jul 13, 2007
80/100
Very disappointing. Off balance has good components but is is way to hot.
2002 vintage
Taster #2716
· Jun 24, 2007
87/100
Initially it was very alcoholic tasting, however the longer it sat the beter it tasted, very rich flavor in the end.
2002 vintage