Col Solare

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Simply put, Col Solare is a partnership between Washington’s Chateau Ste. Michelle and one of Italy’s great wine institutions, Marchesi Antinori. We’re talking 26 generations or over 600 years of winemaking by the Antinori family. Marchesi Piero Antinori, ever driven to push their winemaking boundaries, visited Washington State in 1992 at the urging of legendary Andre Tchelistcheff and saw tremendous potential.

The idea blossomed to partner with Chateau Ste. Michelle.

Col Solare’s mission is producing exceptional red blends with a cabernet sauvignon backbone. It may seem strange that a Tuscany-based wine institution would focus on cabernet and not sangiovese until you realize that Marchesi Antinori’s fame rose significantly with the use of “international varieties” to create the Super Tuscans in the 1970s. Beginning with the 1995 vintage, the Col Solare blend uses 75% cabernet and a mixture of other (mostly Bordeaux) varieties.

In 2006, Col Solare opened its grand winery and tasting room at their 40-acre site on a Red Mountain the 56-foot tall bell tower of which can be spied from nearby I-82. With its pinkish-brown stucco skin and contemporary lines, the Tuscan-inspired architecture mirrors the surrounding landscape. Radiating out on the southerly slope are 28-acres of grapes destined to be the estate wines of Col Solare.

Visitors to the winery enjoy ultra-premium vintages (paired with small plates such as select cheeses and salami) and on weekends can tour the cellar rooms and production facilities below. Here is where you learn how winemaker Marcus Notaro relies on the best of the best in terms of grapes, barrels and winemaking equipment to create big, bold delicious blends retailing for $75 a bottle. A more wallet-friendly second label called Shining Hill at $40 a bottle is also available for tasting and purchase. BTW, the name Col Solare means “shining hill” in Italiano.

If you can’t make it to eastern Washington, visitors to Woodinville’s Chateau Ste. Michelle estate can experience “a taste of Red Mountain” at the Col Solare Bottega. Opened in 2011, the Bottega is open for “private tasting” requiring an advance appointment. It’s nothing like the experience of visiting the actual winery in Red Mountain, but after a thorough sampling of their wines, it’s easy to imagine Col Solare’s 1,000-pound cast iron bell ringing at harvest time and views from their expansive patio of Horse Heaven Hills in the distance.