Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 59 of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. One of the hall- marks of our company is in doing things we haven't done before." By early August the expansion of the winery's visitor center will be complete, effectively doubling its size. Guests will be invited to experience a new 80-seat the - ater, an interactive blending room, private tasting salons and a new Club Room. An on-site Enoteca will feature wines from sister wineries in the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio. In addition to a host of special events, including the winery's popular Summer Concer t Series, limited-release 50th Anniversary bottlings of Cabernet and Chardonnay recently rolled off the bot - tling line—the label a nod to the spare script that graced Ste. Michelle Vintners' original packaging. "This is a highly competitive business, and big companies churn out new brands all the time," Baseler observed. "With all our winemaking, the focus has always been on making wine in a classic fashion. We barrel-ferment our wines in French oak, we age sur lie, we don't cut any corners. We adhere to time-honored benchmarks used to craft the great wines of the world." Kaizen, indeed. DAVID HOLSTROM, Consultant, Restaurants Unlimited Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited Inc. (RUI) has more than 50 restaurants in ten states, including popular Kincaid's and Palomino concepts. Keeping the group's many wine lists polished and ready for action is the job of independent wine consultant David Holstrom (aka Guy du Vin), who has worked with RUI for more than ten years. From his Portland base, he keeps tabs on the Pacific Northwest scene for his award-winning wine programs and is quick to credit the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio for mak - ing his job a lot easier : "Ste. Michelle's wines–whether their domestic estates or their imports—are on every program." The concept of partnership keeps coming up in Holstrom's conversation. "Ste. Michelle is a really great partner," says the busy consultant. "If you're working with a cli - ent in the Pacific Northwest [like RUI], you want to make sure that the Pacific Northwest is clearly represented on your wine program." In this regard, the sheer size of the Chateau Ste. Michelle portfolio is a benefit: "Smaller Pacific Northwest wineries don't have the kind of distribution required for a wine program the size of RUI's." But it's not just about size; it's also about quality. "I feel strongly about Ste. Michelle," continues Holstrom. "There are very few companies within whose portfolio, regardless of price point, you'll find a wine that's varietally correct, that doesn't have off flavors, that always delivers. Ste. Michelle manages to maintain quality in their wines, whether the bottle sells for $14 or $400. That kind of consistency and quality is very difficult to achieve." While redoing the wine lists for for - mer client McCormick & Schmick's, he would blind-taste 30 to 40 wines at a time, from entr y-level to high-end. "What came out of that," says Holstrom, "was that, regardless of price point, a Ste. Michelle wine would come in number 1, number 2 or number 3. That always stuck with me. I've always looked at Ste. Michelle as a go-to source." David Holstrom's top-sellers: Chateau Ste. Michelle single-vineyard Cabernets, Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay. recommends one of the wines in the portfolio to a guest, "Trust me," she always advises. "Nine out of ten times, they love it!" Tonya Pitts's top picks: Chateau Ste. Michelle Artist Series Meritage, Eroica Riesling Tonya Pitts credits Chateau Ste. Michelle within bringing public consciousness to Washington wines. PHOTO: ALEXANDER RUBIN Restaurant wine consultant David Holstrom says, "I've always looked at Ste. Michelle as a go-to source." PHOTO: LEAH NASH