Opening with a delightful nose of poached apples and pears with soft caramel tones and citrus blossom, the 2018 Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard shows promise. Medium-bodied, the wine has soft, elegant baking spices from the 50% new French oak usage, as well as flavors of your apple skin, Meyer lemon and persistent flutters of vanilla and cinnamon through the mid-palate. The wine is keenly priced and ends with a pleasing, straightforward finish that delivers layers of expression, showing an excellent value for the price.

Slightly darker in color than the Canoe Ridge Estate and showing a touch more oak in its buttered stone fruit aromas and flavors, the 2014 Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard (100% Chardonnay aged nine months in 51% new French oak) is medium-bodied, textured, rich and lengthy on the palate. It lacks a touch of the integration of the Canoe Ridge Estate release, but it has more richness and texture.

I thought the 2013 Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard was outstanding, and this barrel-aged Chardonnay offers lots of buttered peach, white flowers and a touch of citrus in its medium-bodied, clean, rounded and elegant style. It has beautiful purity, plenty of richness and good overall freshness, and should drink nicely for a year or so.

Perfumed and exotic, with assorted wild flowers, sauteed apples, spice, vanilla and hints of toast, the 2011 Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard fleshes out beautifully on the palate and has a supple, rich texture, integrated acidity and a dry, clean finish. Striking a good balance between richness and freshness, it’s a fleshy, soft effort that delivers loads of pleasure. Enjoy it over the coming year. Drink now-2016. Tel. (425) 415-3300; www.ste-michelle.com

For thoughts on Chateau Ste Michelle’s uniqueness and recent evolution, consult my extensive April, 2013 text designed to introduce recent tasting notes.Ste Michelle’s Ste Michelle’s 2010 Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard is handled quite differently from the corresponding Canoe Ridge, the two having sojourned in barrels with no tonnelier in common, here half new, and all completing malo. The old Chardonnay vines on this site, notes Bertheau, crop very low so they have to be picked quite early. Putting that information together, it’s not surprising that there is an overtly lactic character here from complete transformation of what would have been high malic must. The result is some blurring of flavors, though lightly-baked apple and lightly-toasted hazelnut piquancy and richness are pleasant and there is a silken feel and persistent finish. I would plan to drink this soon, though. (The corresponding 2009 harbored more bitterness by way of candied lemon rind and nuts, and yet more obvious lactic acid.) Tel. (425) 488-1133