Herds of steaks could suddenly stampede through my yard, and I’d need to wrangle a bottle of red into submission and hold out my fork. Something good’s bound to run into it, and I want to be ready. So Nate and I went red wine tasting at Chateau Ste Michelle last weekend.
Technically, you’re supposed to have a reservation, but we just walked in, expecting to wait. However, the guest services person near the desk looked at his computer and asked, “Do you like reds?” That’s the same as asking, “Do sharks love buckets of chum?” Of course, we love reds!
So off we went, room by gorgeous room, to find the little nook where we’d be sampling delicious wine—and we ended up in a room on the second floor that advertised “Northstar” wines, a subsidiary of the Chateau Ste. Michelle brand.
“Michael is great. He’ll take care of you,” the guest services person said, as he sat us at the bar. And Michael did not disappoint.
We sampled four different wines for $30 per person—and the pours were generous. Also, praise cheesus, we were able to order a delectable sampling of cheeses to go with our wine pours.
The place was loud. I think it was packed with parents, whose kids were somewhere else, and these parents were whooping it up before school started again. Some guy (perhaps father of the year) dropped an entire bottle of wine on the counter. It was the bottle drop heard around the world, but Michael kept his cool. He poured him another glass like he was some Uber driver’s problem now.
In any case, Nate and I liked the first wine we sampled the best. It was a 2021 Cabernet Franc from Walla Walla Valley. Sweet notes of berries and cherries danced while notes of vanilla carried the encore. Simply brilliant!
The next one was a red blend from 2021 (Walla Walla), and I liked it, but Nate did not.
I can’t remember if we both liked the third one, a 2014 Premier Merlot or the fourth one, which was a 2014 Premier Cabernet—both from the Columbia Valley—but I wouldn’t hesitate to hit a steak over the head with either one. I’m not that picky.
In any case, I would have walked out of there with all the wines, but I couldn’t because of Nate, who reminded me that we had a good number of unopened bottles of wine at home, to which I replied, “Oh, yeah. Let’s open them!”
Steak-herding season won’t wind down anytime soon as far as I’m concerned, so I’m happy there’s a winery nearby that will keep me stocked with bottles of red wine that slap.
Your Turn: What season is it now where you live, and what’s your favorite thing to do during that season?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
It sounds like you and your husband had a wonderful time at Chateau Ste Michelle! A great wine tasting is always made even better by a lively and interesting group of people in the mix. Cheers to great memories!
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I’m more of a pink wine person, but perhaps I would have been pleasantly surprised if I had visited the chateau.
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I think red wine is traditional with buckets of chum? Sangre de Toro maybe. I like the image of people standing with their forks, ready for steaks to impale themselves, go carnivores!
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We have lots of wineries here also and it’s nearly impossible to go for a tasting without a reservation. We always go during the shoulder seasons when it’s less busy. It sounds like you found a couple of really good reds. There’s nothing much better than a steak and some red. 😊
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It is spring, and all I want is for it to be warmer and more humid.
It’s still cold enough to use my pressure cooker. I am happily using it, waiting for summer so that I can use my barbecue grill more and more.
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