Chateau Ste. Michelle is the oldest winery in Washington state. It was founded as the American Wine Company, a 1954 merger of the National Wine Company (NAWICO), founded in 1934, and the Pomerelle Wine Company.
The French-style chateau is located on 87 acres (35 ha) of land with mature trees that once belonged to lumber baron Frederick Stimson, who used it as a hunting retreat and rural working farm called the Hollywood Farm. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Over the years, many Washington winemakers have gotten their start working for Chateau Ste. Michelle, these include Kay Simon of Chinook Wines, which she co-founded with her husband Clay Mackey who also worked as a vineyard manager for Chateau Ste. Michelle.
Chateau Ste. Michelle produces over 8,000,000 cases of Riesling wine per year. The winery owns several estate vineyards in Eastern Washington including the Canoe Ridge vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, the Cold Creek vineyard and Indian Wells vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA.
The winery has spent decades investing in quality vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, the finest winemaking equipment, and world-class, top winemaking talent. This commitment to quality has led Chateau Ste. Michelle to earn some of the highest accolades in the industry today.