TN: an outstanding icewine from WA State ('03 Ste. Michelle)

2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle White Riesling Icewine Reserve Columbia Valley

After reading about the Rogue Creamery Blue winning an international cheese competition (I think it was posted here, actually), I got a hankering for some blue cheese and a sweet wine. I have only one 375ml bottle of this beauty and the time seemed right. It was just outstanding, and it was so great with the cheese. We went with a blue from Rogue, but I believe it’s the cheese-equivalent of a declassified wine. Still very good, though, and a great match with this wonderful wine.

My tasting note: Wow. Honey color. Soaring nose that is full of marzipan, orange marmalade, and apricot. Viscous in the glass. Layers of apricot, peach, lemon pith and almond. Such an outstanding wine. No hurry to drink this either…it will likely evolve positively for another decade or more. 94
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These were awesome for the $16-20 a bottle they used to cost.

I was in the Ste. Michelle tasting room a couple of years ago and we had a new employee taking care of us. She poured us a full wine glass of the ice wine, not knowing it was supposed to be served in smaller pours [oops.gif]

Another staff member was quick to correct her (gently of course), but there were 0 complaints on our side of the counter.

My advice to anyone who buys these is to put one away and see how it evolves. I’m sure glad I did.

I found 2 of these in the cellar plus a 2002, 2000 and a 1998 Colimbia Crest Ice Wine.

Nice, Kris! I drank my last 2002 back in 2013 and remember that it was good. From memory, though, I’m not sure it had the concentration of the 2003.

I can’t tell you anyone made better sweet wines than Ste. Michelle/Crest on the West Coast since Dick Arrowood was making sweets back in the 70s and 80s at St. Jean. They were committed to it.

Too bad they got away from ice wine, among other things.

I believe that is right around the time they started bringing in Ernst Loosen as a consultant for their higher RS Rieslings. Good stuff, especially for the $.

Ernie came in to develop dry and off dry, not sweet, they created Eroica. I am sure his insight with Riesling leaked into all winemaking though.

Guildsomm’s free October 15th podcast features the winemaker for Château Ste Michelle and they talk briefly about the history and the begging of the Loosen collaboration.

I might agree there, Kris, with one exception. I remember Kiona making some pretty darn impressive dessert wines back in the day. I recall some were Chenin Blanc-based. I don’t know if there were any ice wines or not, but I remember some being outstanding.

Kiona was the only other I could remember too. We sold them back then, I think they were generally late harvest.

Loosen and the then winemaker (Eric Olsen) made the TBA-styled Single Berry Select Riesling from the get-go. Iirc 99 or 00. It’s more unctuous and has more botrytis than the ice wines. The 00 is an incredible wine. It was the highest scoring wine ever by the WS when it was released, but really expensive. Nowhere near the value of the icewines. I still have one bottle left of the 00 Single Berry.

Correct, single Berry select was all botrytis, BA/TBA style.