- You want dry-style Riesling with measurable freshness
- Citrus and high acidity suit the meal
- You value full chemistry disclosure
The Grocery Store Wine verdict
Chateau Ste. Michelle
Dry Riesling
Chateau Ste. Michelle is the dry Riesling control bottle: citrusy, crisp and technically transparent. Choose it over Pacific Rim when you want the grape’s aroma and acidity without dessert-level sugar.
- Region
- Columbia Valley
- Grape
- Riesling
- The release we researched
- Current release
- Price context
- 8 exact store checks below
What it costs
Exact regular prices from dated store checks.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$11.99
- Kroger, Cincinnati, OH$12.99
- Kroger, Knoxville, TN$12.99
- Kroger, Richmond, VA$13.99
- King Soopers, Colorado Springs, CO$11.99
- Fred Meyer, Portland, OR$19.99
- QFC, Tacoma, WA$12.99
- Ralphs, Long Beach, CA$15.99
Observed at specific stores; your store will vary. A price target, not an ad.
Chateau Ste. Michelle is the dry Riesling control bottle: citrusy, crisp and technically transparent. Choose it over Pacific Rim when you want the grape’s aroma and acidity without dessert-level sugar.
Our call uses producer and regional evidence, dated public ratings and the bottle’s position in the aisle. Price never enters the GSW Score.
- You want a fully austere zero-sugar profile
- You prefer rich oak-aged white wine
- You need a named vineyard or exact shelf vintage
Serve chilled, then let the glass warm enough to show aroma and texture.
Match the bottle’s crisp white structure, sweetness and acidity to the food rather than to the label’s prestige.
The release and package behind our call.
We researched this release from the producer's own material and current retail listings. We haven't held this exact bottle yet — when we do, we'll say so.
Current product profile
- Retailer-supplied source identifier
- 0008858664289 retailer listing evidence
What to expect in the glass.
Region, production, chemistry and house style point to a clear sensory profile. This is the profile we would buy against.
8.4 g/L residual sugar
6.5 g/L TA and pH 3.2
12.5% ABV and stainless production
Producer description
Understanding Columbia Valley without flattening it.
Columbia Valley is large, dry and internally varied. Its rain-shadow climate and cool nights are useful context, but a statewide-scale AVA never replaces vineyard or subappellation sourcing.
A protected place
A federally recognized American Viticultural Area established in 1984. It covers most of Washington’s wine-growing land and crosses into Oregon.
The climate frame
The Cascade rain shadow keeps annual precipitation near 6–8 inches across much of the valley. Long summer days and cool nights support ripeness while preserving acidity; irrigation is fundamental.
What can be claimed
Windblown loess, flood deposits, gravel and basalt-derived material recur across the valley. The broad AVA does not establish one soil for a finished blend.
Scale, without the fog
- Area
- About 11 million acres, with more than 60,000 acres planted to wine grapes in the authority record. established
- Riesling context
- Riesling was Washington’s second-largest 2023 variety at 24,357 tons, 15% of the crop. established
Subregions worth tracking
- Nested places
- Yakima Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Horse Heaven Hills and other AVAs sit within the larger Columbia Valley framework. established
- Resolution limit
- A Columbia Valley label does not establish a single vineyard, elevation or soil series. disclosed
What is specific to this Current release bottle.
This is a dry-style Washington Riesling with the evidence to define “dry” precisely: 8.4 g/L residual sugar set against 6.5 g/L acidity and pH 3.2.
Production
Cool fermentation in stainless steel preserves freshness; the current producer page identifies a 100% Riesling blend.
Taste claim
Producer-stated sweet citrus aromas and flavors, crisp acidity and an elegant finish.
Chateau Ste. Michelle
The named producer is established; current corporate ownership is not inferred beyond the reviewed producer material.
Chateau Ste. Michelle traces its Washington wine history to the 1930s and helped establish Riesling as a signature state variety.
The current Dry Riesling page publishes 100% Riesling, cool stainless-steel fermentation and complete finished-wine chemistry.
- Composition
- 100% Riesling from Columbia Valley producer stated
- Finished wine
- 12.5% ABV; 8.4 g/L residual sugar; 6.5 g/L total acidity; pH 3.2 producer stated
- Fermentation
- Cool fermentation in stainless steel producer stated
- Retailer-reported package
- 2.85 × 12.65 × 2.9 in; 2.67 lb gross; net weight not supplied disclosed
What is still open.
Conflicts and missing evidence stay visible until a physical bottle or stronger source settles them.
- Source identifier
- The retailer-supplied source identifier fails a GTIN check-digit test and is not a certified physical barcode. disclosed
- Physical shelf match
- Not yet acquired; vintage, lot, importer and physical barcode remain unverified not found
- Artwork
- Approved artwork is missing. The page uses the reserved placeholder path. not found
Claims stay attached to evidence.
Every claim on this page shows where we found it and when we last checked. If we got something wrong, tell us — we fix it in public.
SourcePublisher / how strong the source isChecked
Columbia Valley AVA ↗
Washington State Wine CommissionLegal, climate, soil and scale context
2023 Washington wine-grape report ↗
Washington State Wine Commission2023 growing season, harvest and crop scale
Chateau Ste. Michelle release and producer record ↗
Chateau Ste. MichelleRelease, production, taste and producer facts
Dated retailer product record
KrogerPackage, identifier and data-quality checks
Kroger product rating ↗
Kroger4.76 / 5 from 42 ratings
Target product rating ↗
Target4.70 / 5 from 85 ratings
Total Wine product rating ↗
Total Wine4.60 / 5 from 87 ratings
Front, back, fine print.
The label, the barcode, and the fine print — captured so you can read what the bottle actually says.
- Primary retailer identifier
- 0008858664289
- Editorial status
- Verdict published
- Artwork class
- Clean packshot
- How much we know
- Region and release researched
