Our take
Chateau Ste. Michelle Light Chardonnay Washington White Wine
- Style
- White wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Chardonnay
- Region
- Washington State
- Shelf barcode
- 0088586013348
Our take
What we make of this bottle
Chateau Ste. Michelle says it was established in 1967 as Washington's first premium winery, out in Woodinville, and that the Wyckoff family bought it in 2025, returning it to local ownership for the first time in fifty years. The wine comes from Washington. A Washington bottling can be a broad blend drawn from across the state or the fruit of one smaller growing area, and the difference counts: the Cascade mountains block much of the Pacific rain from the eastern side, so those vineyards get warm days, cool nights, and a real risk of winter frost. Our evidence does not identify a narrower AVA for this bottle. In our September 2026 checks the lowest we saw was $11.99, which sits among the more affordable whites we track.
One shopper has rated it so far. The single score is 4 out of five. The top price we recorded in those same checks was $19.99. On the grape, category guides place unoaked Chardonnay at the lighter end, and they match cooler growing with citrus and apple and riper growing with stone or tropical fruit.
Chateau Ste. Michelle's technical sheet for the LIGHT Chardonnay lists the wine at 9.0 percent alcohol, well below a typical dry Chardonnay, achieved, the producer says, through fermentation control rather than removing alcohol after the fact: “naturally lower sugars yield less alcohol.” The wine is fermented and aged in a mix of stainless steel and neutral American oak, with a full malolactic fermentation, the process that softens sharper acid into a rounder, creamier mouthfeel. The tasting notes describe a “fresh yet soft style with subtle hints of oak” carrying lemon, apple and ripe apricot to what the producer calls a sweet finish. The same sheet lists 80 calories and 2.1 grams of carbohydrate per 5-ounce pour, and states the wine is gluten-free.
Our call: worth a try if the low-alcohol, lower-calorie style is what you are after; the producer states its 9.0 percent alcohol and 80-calorie pour plainly, and this Chardonnay sits among the more affordable whites we track. Pass if you want the crowd's word on it first; one shopper's rating is a start, not a verdict, and our evidence does not name a growing area more specific than the state of Washington.
The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.
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Read our take →The prices we checked
Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$11.99
- Kroger, Cincinnati, OH$14.99
- Fred Meyer, Portland, OR$19.99
- Kroger, Knoxville, TN$12.99
- Kroger, Richmond, VA$13.99
- QFC, Tacoma, WA$13.99
The regular price can vary by store and date.
From the producer
Washington's founding winery
Chateau Ste. Michelle says it was established in 1967 as Washington state's first premium winery, built in Woodinville. The winery's own site also says the Wyckoff family bought Chateau Ste. Michelle in 2025, returning it to local ownership for the first time in 50 years.
Research status
What we are still checking
Our overview above draws on the dated store feed, shopper ratings, our region and grape research, and any sourced producer facts. We are still working to confirm the current release, the full producer record, and the bottle itself, and we update this page as we learn more.
Getting to know Washington State.
A Washington label can point to a large state blend or to a narrower AVA. Most vineyards are east of the Cascade Range, but the exact AVA still matters because elevation, wind, rain and frost exposure change across the state.
What the name means
Washington is a state origin, not one American Viticultural Area. Its wine regions include 21 federally recognized AVAs, some shared with Oregon.
How grapes grow here
The Cascade Range blocks much of the Pacific rain from eastern Washington. That creates generally dry growing conditions with warm summer days, cool nights and winter frost risk, while western sites have stronger marine influence.
What lies under the vines
Flood deposits, windblown silt, sand, gravel and volcanic material occur across Washington wine country. A state name alone does not identify one soil or vineyard setting.
How large the region is
- Recognized AVAs
- 21 wine-growing areas are listed by the Washington State Wine Commission.
- Label resolution
- Washington State is broader than an AVA, so the bottle or producer must establish a more specific place.
Places within the region
- Columbia Valley
- A very large AVA that contains many of Washington's smaller wine regions and crosses into Oregon.
- Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Valley
- Two established AVAs within the broader eastern Washington landscape, each with its own boundaries and local conditions.
Getting to know Chardonnay.
Chardonnay is a white grape used for still and sparkling wine. It can be made without oak for a lighter shape or fermented and aged in oak for more weight.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Official category guides place citrus and apple at the cooler end and stone fruit or tropical fruit in riper examples. Oak and time on the spent yeast can add toast, spice and a rounder texture, but those features are winemaking choices rather than a guarantee.
Sources: New Zealand Winegrowers; Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 116 Chardonnay wines we cover →
Where this information comes from
- Store listing
- Price, package, product identifier, and shopper rating. Checked Aug 10, 2026.
- Barcode
- The shelf barcode shown here is computed from the store product identifier. It has not been checked against a bottle.
- Method
- Every price, rating and fact here is a dated observation. How we check.