Col Solare Bottega

ADDENDUM: The prices charged at the winery and on the Col Solare website are $35 to $25 MORE THAN WHAT YOU PAY at a liquor or wine store!!!The five stars are ostensibly for our server Kate, who was personable and knowledgeable about the Col Solare wines. I was once a wine manager for restaurants, and I can get rather obnoxious testing young people who "think they know about wine." Kate handled my questions with aplomb and charm. Col Solare Bottega is a pretentious name for a glass enclosed space inside Chateau St. Michelle. The winery is very structured and organized, unlike the quintessential Woodinville experience. We had our table for one hour. When our time slot was over, it was time to get out! Unfortunately, we were 25 minutes late after the extensive check in process. Give yourself enough time to walk from the parking lot and get checked in. In our 35 minutes, we gulped down four great wines, purchased a few bottles, paid a lot of money and left. It wasn't relaxed at all, and we wanted more time to enjoy and savor. Chateau Ste Michelle is gorgeous and well run. It is a wonderful experience for most tourists. We drove out from Seattle and just wanted to taste wine and have some fun. That is not what Chateau Ste Michelle is about. This is serious tourism.

What a great find! We stopped at Chateau Ste. Michelle without an appointment Two days before Thanksgiving! we had hoped to do some tasting; however, they were fully booked. Nevertheless, they did have a room at Col Solare Bottega, (a partnership between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori in Tuscany) which is actually located inside the CSM tasting room! Nice private little space! Pours were plentiful and generous! Our server, Olivia was amazing! She is very knowledgeable, but not at all in a snooty condescending way as some tasting room staff can be. Olivia was helpful, not intrusive, and made us feel very welcome. The wines are great! Lovely rosé and several good reds! Not inexpensive, mind you, but life's too short to drink cheap wine, correct? We bought two bottles. Check out Col Solare Bottega at Chateau Ste. Michelle and ask for Olivia!

Located in the Chateau St Michelle building, Col Salare is a standout in the tasting options within Woodinville. It's in a glass-enclosed section with tall tables at which to stand while tasting. Upon entering there are several friendly staff members to greet and provide an overview of the current tasting menu. During the tasting they explain the history of the wines and give you a small plate of cheese and almonds with truffle oil to pair with them. Try the wines on their own and then with the cheese and almonds. Magnificent. The grapes grown on Red Mountain are delicious and Col Salare's vineyards produce lovely wines. The Cabernet Sauvignon makes me so happy. Wine tasting is $20 for three pours of different vintages. Bottles are $75+ but that's understandable given the taste and quality. Each time I visit I struggle to talk myself out of joining the wine club! :-)

This is a spot located within Chateau Ste Michelle, enclosed with glass walls towards the back. Their wine thing was $20 for 3 red wines. They were all cabernet sauv tastings, so if you love your cab sauv then definitely come here! They offered 3 different vintages- one was 100% cab sauv and the other 2 were blends. I liked all of the wines in my tasting. The staff was very nice- they offered us a bonus rosé tasting as part of our wine tasting. The rosé was super delicious- very dry and refreshing (only $26/bottle). If you sign up for their email list, you get 10% off your purchases!

Liv was the most amazing server! Very knowledgeable and personable. We got to do a ladder and loved being able to compare the different years. She educated us on what each year meant in terms of temperature and how that affected each grape. 10/10 recommend the wines here and the service was the best part!

Col Solare Bottega sits inside a glass enclosure inside of Chateau Ste Michelle winery. We were thrilled to be "invited" to Col after our free wine tasting/tour inside of Chateau (you normally need reservations). We were surprised that we were the only two that jumped at the chance while the rest of the group shrugged off into the massive gift shop (what is wrong with you people? hahaha)Col Solare is a partnership between Chateau Ste Michelle and Marchesi Antinori of Italy. I've been a fan of both wines for a long time so it was perfect partnership and the wines were amazing as well. A flight of wine (tasting) was $20 and we were immediately smitten with with their Shining Hill label. I liked all three wines - 2012 Shining Hill Red Mountain (which we both purchased); 2012 Col Solare Red Mountain (great as well) and the star of the show the 2008 Col Solare. I am hating myself for not getting the bottle of the 2008 - its $65 retail (slightly more affordable at the Bottega) and you often cannot find it (always sold out), but I wasn't sure of my luggage capacities so I went with my second favorite the 2012 Shining Hill Red Mountain Red Wine for $40 (good luck finding this wine retail).Waiting for a grand occasion to bring out the 2012 Shining Hill...if I don't end up drinking it before then ;-)

The best part of the tasting was the server. She was well educated and a delight. They charge $20 per tasting and told me on the phone that there is a pairing that goes along with the experience. The "pairing" is under an ounce of cheese cut into several pieces on a platter with eight almonds. This is so not called a pairing where I come from. It was pretty pricey for the amount of wine you got (3 oz?) and while I understand that it's an experience to drink inside the glass room I was pretty underwhelmed. Save your money and get the $15 premium tasting outside the glass which was well worth it in the Château Saint Michelle tasting room.

I am a huge fan of the wines at Col Solare. Lizzy in the tasting room is extremely knowledgeable in not only Washington wines but the rich family history around this winery. It's truly a treat to be able to taste these wines!

Simply a class above!Beautifully nestled inside chateau st Michelle! I didn't understand wine till i started my tastings at col solare! Joseph and Alex are the most knowledgeable wine sommeliers! They take time to explain the specifics of the year and what brings out the taste in the wines at the tasting! I seem to get it now becoz of them! I understand what an extra hot summer can do to a grape and the taste! They love what they do, they are friendly and just super amazing!Love this place! Totally recommend it!

We are big fans of Col Solare wine but even bigger fans of the service Joseph provides. He's attentive, accommodating, and has shown us amazing hospitality. We book tastings with Joseph when we really want to guarantee a good experience or celebration while wine tasting. When family comes from out of town, we know Joseph will take the time to share the reasons why WA wine is so amazing. Excited to see what the new wine maker does but miss the Shinning Hill!