A wonderfully good wine from Washington that is available at Costco, the Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Red Blend. Bulk Buy!
A red blend of 54% Syrah, 27% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 4% Grenache, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cinsault, 1% Barbera and 1% Mourvedre from vineyards in the Wahluke Slope (47%) as well Horse Heaven Hills, Yakima Valley and Snipes Mountain AVAs in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. The wine was aged for 18 months in 29% new French and American oak barrels.
Sample submitted for review. The Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Red Blend has an SRP of $20 and is available for as low as $12 including at many Costco locations.
Sourced from a select collection of vineyards in the Columbia Valley and noted for a distinctively rich, mouth-filling style.
Sourced from warm vineyard sites, the signature mouth-filling, fruit-forward Indian Wells style is apparent in this artisanal blend. Layers of rich, jammy strawberry notes lead to a velvety mid-palate and a graceful finish.
14.5% Alcohol
The Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Red Blend is one we’ve recommended many times over the years and the 2016 vintage carries on the tasty tradition. It begins with a wonderful thick aroma full of ripe, jammy blackberry, spice and lots of vanilla and coffee. Tasting the lush wine reveals lots of dusty blackberry fruit, mocha and spice. Oaky notes start to take over mid-palate but the rich, dark fruit never lets up and it gets even better as it has some time to breathe. The dry, long finish features more dark fruit and spice, more vanilla and lots of lingering mocha and coffee notes.
This is a style of wine that I enjoy quite a bit (thus the Bulk Buy rating) but you might not find it as much to your liking if you don’t like oaky and somewhat tannic wines. Personally, I like this one even a bit better than the Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet (which we also rated a Bulk Buy), probably thanks to the hefty dose (54%) of Syrah in this blend, a varietal that does fabulously in Washington State.
Ready to buy? See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.
You may also want to check out more of our favorite red blends here.
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