Chateau Ste. Michelle Names Taylor Butterfield as Head Winemaker of White Wines

Woodinville, Wash.

Woodinville, Wash. -- Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington’s founding winery, has named Taylor Butterfield as head winemaker of white wines. She will oversee production of the winery’s vast range of award-winning Rieslings, Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs and other white varietals. Based at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Canoe Ridge Estate winery in Eastern Washington, Butterfield will report to Katie Nelson, Vice President of Winemaking for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Butterfield joins Brian Mackey, head red winemaker for Chateau Ste. Michelle.

“We are thrilled to have Taylor leading winemaking for our white wines, at Chateau Ste Michelle,” says Katie Nelson. “She has over ten years of Washington winemaking experience where she has worked with many of the state’s premier growers to craft amazing wines of various styles. Taylor has an eye for detail and is tremendously creative and curious when it comes to winemaking. We are happy to have her expertise and leadership at our flagship winery.”

Butterfield spent the first 10 years of her winemaking career at Hogue, where she moved from intern to Enologist and eventually took over white winemaking production for Constellation Brands and E&J Gallo. Most recently, she worked as a Blend Supply Analyst for Constellation, focusing on supply and demand.

An Eastern Washington native and natural-born scientist, Butterfield attended Seattle University graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. Taylor enjoys winemaking in Washington State because of the land’s ability to produce several different varietals in a broad range of styles. “I have a strong desire to know how the same varietal from the same AVA could taste completely different,” explains Taylor. When not in the cellar or in the vineyards, Taylor enjoys spending time outdoors with her two young kids and husband Tristan, who works as Red Assistant Winemaker for Canoe Ridge Estate. Her favorite wines to drink (and make) are Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Rieslings and can be found pairing them with chicken curry or oysters on the half shell.

Taylor also serves on the board of the Alliance of Women in Washington Wine where she leads the Mentorship Program.

About Chateau Ste. Michelle
Chateau Ste. Michelle founded a wine region and we’re not done blazing trails yet. We honor our 55-year legacy of making world-class Washington wine, while taking bold steps to building our future with 2,600 acres of sustainably-farmed estate vineyards, state-of-the art cellar technology and talented, passionate winemaking team led by head winemaker Katie Nelson, with 30-years of Washington winemaking experience. Chateau Ste. Michelle continually strives to delight wine drinkers with an array of wine styles and immersive winery experiences, while staying focused on crafting award-winning, flavorful wines that are the ultimate expressions of Washington state.