New Winery Opened on Red Mountain for Col Solare
Red Mountain, Wash.
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington State’s oldest and most acclaimed winery, and the Antinori family of Tuscany, Italy, cut the ribbon today on a boutique winery for Col Solare, the luxury red wine that the two partners have been making since the 1995 vintage.
The ceremony represented the culmination of the partners’ vision to unite their old- and modern-world aesthetics and winemaking perspectives into a state-of-the-art winery.
Ted Baseler, President and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, owner of Chateau Ste. Michelle, told the gathering, “What a great day for us and our partners. Our companies share a passion for quality and for exciting wines. The new Col Solare winery exemplifies that passion.”
“We are pleased to dedicate this new winery to our goal of making distinctive and highly regarded red wines in Washington,” said Marchese Piero Antinori, whose family has been making wine in Italy since 1385. “Our family has been intrigued for some time by the unique terroir and growing conditions of Red Mountain. This is an important day for us.”
Antinori first visited Washington State in 1992 at the urging of wine industry legend Andre Tchelistcheff, who was then a consultant for Chateau Ste. Michelle.
In 2000, Baseler and Antinori first talked about building a winery properly scaled and singularly focused on Col Solare to best achieve the wine’s quality potential.
Several sites were considered before Baseler introduced the Antinori to Red Mountain, one of the Columbia Valley’s most celebrated sub-appellations and known for its Cabernet Sauvignon.
Forty acres were purchased there in 2005 for a Col Solare winery and estate vineyard. Winery construction was completed in time for harvest 2006.
The estate vineyard was designed and planted in spring 2007 according to specifications that Marchesi Antinori uses in its own estate vineyards in Tuscany and Umbria.
There are 28 acres of grapes planted, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah. The vineyard follows the natural contours of the site to form a fan in front of the winery, and the varietals are situated in relation to the sun according to their characteristics.
Col Solare is a blend of several red varietals, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Marcus Notaro is the resident winemaker who works at the direction of Renzo Cotarella, Managing Director and Chief Enologist for Antinori, and Doug Gore, Senior Vice President for Winemaking at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
Each vintage of Col Solare is developed and fine-tuned by the team during tastings and blending sessions that occur at least quarterly.
The annual production of Col Solare is fewer than 5,000 cases. The 18,000-square-foot winery can crush up to 320 tons of grapes and has state-of-the-art equipment, from the crush pad to the barrel room. All grapes are hand-picked and handled in small lots, which allows for the most flexibility in putting together blends.
The grapes for the 2006 were crushed in the new winery.
The winery itself has a number of features that reflect the earth-friendly design of its architects, the Boxwood Company of Seattle. The design is modern, but with a “Tuscan touch,” including a bell tower.
Situated high on Red Mountain, the winery offers guests commanding views of Mount Adams, Mount Rainier and the Horse Heaven Hills. The winery is east of the Cascade Range, about 3 hours by car from Seattle.
Col Solare winery will be open by appointment only. For more information, please call (509) 588-6806. The email address is a info@colsolare.com
Col Solare is the partnership between two influential wine producers who are recognized leaders in their respective regions: Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori and Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle. Col Solare, Italian for ‘shining hill,’ unites two unique viticultural and winemaking cultures to produce a luxury Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine.
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For further information:
Grace Doyle
425-415-3359
grace.doyle@smwe.com
