St. Michelle Wine Estates, the parent company of St. Michelle Winery, recently announced plans to relocate their Woodinville headquarters and Chateau Ste. Michelle tasting room to a new location about one mile down the road. This move will allow the company to expand and modernize their facilities to accommodate growth and enhance the visitor experience.
Background on St. Michelle Winery
St. Michelle Wine Estates was founded in Washington state in 1934 under the name National Wine Company. The company was renamed Ste. Michelle Vintners in the 1970s and acquired the St. Michelle brand and winery in Eastern Washington in 1976. The company changed its name to St. Michelle Wine Estates in 2021. St. Michelle is the largest producer of wine in the state of Washington.
St. Michelle’s Woodinville location includes administrative offices, a tasting room, retail store, and winemaking production facilities. The Chateau Ste. Michelle tasting room opened in 1976 and attracts over 300,000 visitors per year, making it the second most visited winery in the state. The French-style chateau structure was modeled after the centuries-old La Pierrelée winery in the Côte d’Or region of France.
Reasons for Relocating
St. Michelle cited several factors that led to the decision to relocate their Woodinville facilities:
- The current facilities have aged and need upgrades. Constructing new buildings will allow the company to optimize operations.
- They have outgrown the available space at the current 30-acre location.
- The new property will provide an additional 10 acres to accommodate future growth plans.
- The new location is in an opportunity zone, which provides tax incentives for development.
- Relocating will allow enhancements to the visitor experience with expanded tasting spaces.
Details on New Location
The new St. Michelle Wine Estates headquarters and Chateau Ste. Michelle tasting room will be located on 40 acres just over a mile down the road from the current facilities. The address is 14111 NE 145th Street, Woodinville, WA 98072.
The property was previously a lumber mill and required environmental remediation before development. It offers space for production capacity expansion, vineyard acreage, new hospitality centers, and administrative offices. The $166 million project is expected to be completed over the next five years.
New Tasting Room
Renderings released by St. Michelle showcase plans for an impressive new tasting room space. The building design has a modern aesthetic while retaining the French chateau feel of the original structure. Features include:
- Over 32,000 square feet, more than doubling the current tasting room space
- Expanded retail store
- Full-service restaurant
- Outdoor garden spaces
- Event and meeting facilities
Production Expansion
In addition to corporate offices and the tasting room, the new facilities will include significant production capacity expansion:
- 1.5 million gallons of stainless steel tank storage
- Processing spaces for crushing, pressing, fermenting, and barrel aging wine
- New bottling lines with capability to fill 700 cases per hour
- Warehouses providing initial storage for over 41,000 barrels of wine
The expanded production capacity will allow St. Michelle to continue growing as demand increases for Washington wines. Their strategic vision is to evolve from Washington’s largest winery into America’s most acclaimed producer of premium wines.
Impact on Woodinville Wine Country
St. Michelle’s new location is anticipated to bring benefits for the broader Woodinville wine community as well. As an anchor attraction, the renovated and expanded Chateau Ste. Michelle is expected to draw more visitors to the area. The tasting room recorded 300,000 visits in 2019, and the enhancements could boost that number higher. More tourists provides a ripple effect supporting the over 130 wineries and tasting rooms now operating in Woodinville.
However, there are some concerns about the impact on the adjacent warehouse district, where over 70 small production wineries have facilities. The area lacks infrastructure like sidewalks and could see more traffic congestion. Some worry property values and rents could escalate, squeezing out the artisan winemakers. Efforts are underway to get the city to invest in improving the warehouse district in conjunction with St. Michelle’s relocation.
Project Timeline
St. Michelle has not yet disclosed an exact timeline for the relocation and new construction. However, some target dates have been shared:
- The company plans to continue operations at the current Chateau Ste. Michelle tasting room through Fall 2024.
- Construction on the new tasting room and production facilities is slated to begin in early 2023.
- The new headquarters office space will likely open first between late 2023 and early 2024.
- The new tasting room and production facilities are forecast to open in phases over 2024 and 2025.
St. Michelle is working with the City of Woodinville on permitting and plans to share more details on the schedule in early 2023.
Conclusion
St. Michelle Winery’s upcoming move marks a new chapter for Washington’s wine giant. The company is investing in their future growth by relocating their administrative and production operations, as well as their popular Chateau Ste. Michelle tasting room, to a new and improved facility just down the road. The expansion will help St. Michelle continue to evolve and meet consumer demand as they work to solidify their status as America’s premier producer of premium wines. While some challenges exist, the relocated and renovated tasting room is expected to attract more tourism and support the broader Woodinville wine community. Exciting enhancements are in store for visitors when the new Chateau Ste. Michelle begins opening in phases over the next few years.
