2005 Chateau Ste Michelle Artist Series Meritage

The Art of Wine
Chateau Ste. Michelles Artist Series Meritage red wine celebrates the inspired collaboration between artisan winemaking and fine art. This 13th vintage of Artist Series Meritage showcases the work of Bobbie Burgers from British Columbia. Bobbie studied in France and returns often to recapture the life, light and spirit of Provence in her painting. Her powerful botanicals and luscious still lifes are large scale, intensely alive landscapes that focus on sumptuous color and wild movement. For more information about the artist, visit fosterwhite.com.

Tasting Notes
This is the ultimate sculpted wine, showcasing the power and elegance of Washington fruit. The 2005 Artist Series Meritage is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot from the Columbia Valley. Each variety contributes a special attribute to the blend, resulting in a complex wine with seamless tannins. The 2005 Artist Series marks the first time that Merlot, and not Cabernet, makes up a majority of the blend. The 2005 Merlot deserved to be the star of the show!
-Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

Vintage

• The 2005 harvest tested our winemakers patience, but ultimately delivered excellent quality fruit.
• The growing season started cool, followed by 90+ degree days in July and August.
• September brought cool and constant weather, which extended the season, allowing grapes extra time to ripen on the vine and enhance flavor development.

Vineyards

• Fruit from our vineyard at Canoe Ridge Estate in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA made up 44% of the blend, contributing elegant fruit and silky tannins.
• 30% of the fruit was sourced from our Cold Creek Vineyard, one of the oldest and warmest sites in Washington.
• Planted in 1973, the low yielding old vines of Cold Creek produce small clusters and small berries, resulting in intense varietal flavors and deep color.
• The balance of the fruit came from vineyards in the Wahluke Slope, a warm region known for ripe, concentrated reds.

Winemaking

• Fermented in small lots for maximum flexibility during blending.
• Daily gentle pumpovers were used to extract optimal flavor and color and minimize harsh tannins.
• The pumpovers vary by block, tank and day of fermentation. Every ferment is tasted daily to evaluate the evolution of the tannins, modify extraction techniques and find the right moment to drain the wine off of its skins.
• Aged for 20 months in French and American oak, 53% new.