Col Solare
The partnership between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Tuscany’s Marchese Piero Antinori was born from a simple idea – to explore together the high-quality potential of Columbia Valley vineyards. Col Solare is the result, an internationally-styled Cabernet-based blend that quickly earned critical acclaim with its debut 1995 vintage.
The Antinori family is one of Italy’s most important producers. Though the family has been making wine for over 600 years, Piero Antinori has never let tradition stand in the way of innovation. This is most evidenced by his creation of the “Super Tuscan” category with wines such as Tignanello and Solaia. His ongoing search for great wine has taken him beyond Tuscany’s borders to other Italian regions, and the New World, including Washington state, California and Chile.
In 2006, the partnership was further solidified with the construction and opening of the Col Solare Winery on Washington’s prestigious Red Mountain, overseen by winemakers Renzo Cotarella and Doug Gore (left). This state-of-the-art winery (below) and 30-acre estate vineyard is dedicated solely to producing Col Solare.
