Riesling (2024)

About this wine

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2024 Riesling from Washington’s Columbia Valley is made from 100 percent Riesling and is typically bottled in a medium dry style. It opens with fresh aromatics that lean toward crisp apple and white peach, with light floral hints and a subtle mineral note. On the palate, expect juicy stone fruit plus touches of mango, then a brighter line of lime zest that keeps the finish snappy. The texture is light to medium bodied, with lively acidity and a gentle, measured sweetness rather than a sugary feel. The winery ferments this Riesling cool, about 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, to keep the fruit and aromatics vivid, and the posted analysis for this bottling style lists 12.0 percent alcohol with residual sugar around 2.1 grams per 100 milliliters. A recent Wine Enthusiast review of the 2024 vintage also notes flavors like peach, mango and mint, with accents of lychee, pear, honey, and an elderflower tea character.

About the grape

Riesling is a white grape that rose to fame along Germany’s Rhine, with records of vine cuttings purchased in 1435, and it became known for keeping bright acidity in cool places while still expressing site differences. In Washington, Riesling arrived early in the modern wine era, the first plantings date to 1961, and Ste. Michelle helped put the state on the map when its 1972 Riesling topped a Los Angeles Times tasting in 1974. For the 2024 Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling from Columbia Valley, the wine is made from 100 percent Riesling sourced from vineyards across the broad Columbia Valley, where warm days and cool nights help the variety ripen while holding acidity. The grapes are fermented cool, at about 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, in stainless steel, a common approach for Riesling that keeps the focus on the grape rather than oak.

Quick facts

• 🏛️ Chateau Ste. Michelle is Washington’s oldest winery, with roots that trace back to the post Prohibition start of NAWICO in 1934 before later evolving into today’s Chateau Ste. Michelle.
• 🗺️ The Columbia Valley AVA on this label is Washington’s giant wine “umbrella,” about 11 million acres and home to more than 99% of the state’s vinifera vineyards.
• 🥇 In 1974, a Ste. Michelle Riesling (1972 Johannisberg Riesling) won a Los Angeles Times blind tasting, a milestone moment that helped put Washington Riesling on the national map.
• ❄️ This Columbia Valley Riesling is intentionally made in a medium dry style, with a measured touch of residual sugar and a cool stainless steel fermentation to keep the fruit bright.
• 🌲 As of December 2025, Chateau Ste. Michelle returned to Washington family ownership when the Wyckoff family acquired Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, bringing the iconic Riesling producer back under local stewardship.

Palate profile

Producer

Chateau Ste. Michelle traces its roots to a 1912 estate and expanded into commercial winemaking after repeal of Prohibition, with the modern company taking shape in the mid 20th century. The winery introduced a line of premium vinifera wines in 1967 under the guidance of legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff, and planted its first estate vineyard in eastern Washington in 1972. In 1976 the company built its French style chateau in Woodinville and adopted the Chateau Ste. Michelle name. Over the decades it grew into Washington states largest premium wine producer and formed notable partnerships, including a Riesling collaboration with a Mosel winemaker and a Bordeaux style project with an Italian vintner. The estate is known for pioneering vinifera in Washington and for combining research driven viticulture with classic winemaking practices.