Chateau Ste. Michelle is back under private ownership

Published 1:30 am Monday, February 23, 2026

WOODINVILLE —There could be a change afoot at Chateau Ste. Michelle, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year and is now in its third month of new ownership.

As I sipped wine and sampled roasted and pickled beet salad with orange champagne vinaigrette, with goat cheese and toasted hazelnuts, a seared scallop with carrot puree and saffron beurre, and double chocolate ice cream with red wine salt and port reduction, I hoped that Court Wyckoff knows not to tinker with the tasting room or the beautiful grounds at 14111 NE 145th St. in Woodinville.

The Wyckoff family, which runs an agricultural business in the Yakima Valley that sells grapes to Chateau Ste. Michelle first announced in a press release on Dec. 4 that it had purchased the state’s largest wine producer from Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm in New York City.

I tried to get an interview with Court Wyckoff, the new owner of Chateau Ste. Michelle, but got a statement instead.

“We look forward to working with the Ste. Michelle team to build on its leadership, invest in winemaking quality, and champion Washington’s wine grape growers and Washington wine to consumers across the country,” said Wyckoff, CEO of Wyckoff Farms.

He has not telegraphed what changes could occur; the ownership is too new, said Chateau Ste. Michelle spokesperson Lynda Eller.

The ownership change means that, for the first time in more than 50 years, Chateau Ste Michelle is now owned by a private owner.

The purchase price was not disclosed, but Sycamore purchased the wine company from tobacco giant Altura Group, the owner of the Marlboro brand, for $1.2 billion in 2021 in an all-cash deal.

Sycamore didn’t explain why it owned the winery for only four years. While private equity investors purchase companies with the aim of making operations more efficient, often with layoffs before attempting to sell for a huge profit, four years is a relatively short period to flip the property.

The sale comes as the wine industry undergoes fundamental changes, with fewer people drinking alcohol and wineries worldwide facing declining sales.

Altura, formerly Phillip Morris, has owned the wine company since the early 1970s.

Chateau ended its final wine production on its Woodinville grounds in 2022, moving all production to Eastern Washington. But chateau tours, wine tastings inside a French-style villa and walking tours of the manicured, wooded grounds that cover more than 100 acres are still offered.

Founded in 1933, Ste. Michelle is not only the largest Washington winery but also the eighth-largest in the U.S., with 3.6 million cases of wine produced annually, according to a new survey by Wine Business Magazine.

A case contains 12 bottles of wine, so that would mean Chateau Ste Michelle and the various bands under its umbrella produce more than 43 million bottles of wine in its several production facilities in Eastern Washington.

What will happen to the iconic Chateau’s grounds is still an open question. The more than 100 acres include manicured gardens, large, mature trees, and a trout pond.

Back in January 2024, representatives from the wine company presented a plan to develop part of the winery grounds, including a hotel, townhouses, restaurants, and retail businesses. Supposedly, if the plans come to fruition, they won’t affect the summer concert series, which attracts major music groups to the Chateau grounds each summer.

But the joy of walking around the chateau grounds before or after a wine tasting would certainly not be the same if surrounded by townhouses.

Chateau officials have not returned to the city council, so it’s unclear whether the development plan is still alive. Eller said the Wyckoff family has made no decisions on any changes to the winery complex.

While no wine is produced at the Woodinville complex, Chateau Ste. Michelle is a hub of tourism. The tasting room alone is 22,000 square feet and features a 22,000-square-foot Visitor Center, including a restaurant, a spacious tasting area, a retail shop, and various specialized tasting rooms.

During my recent visit, various tastings were taking place, including wine-only pourings. The tasting I attended, the Elevated Somm’s Experience, pairs five wines with food tastings for $110 per person.

A wine educator explained which wines we were tasting and how each enhanced each dish.

But you don’t have to attend a formal tasting experience to enjoy Chateau Ste. Michelle. The tasting complex also included a long bar where you can get a burger, a glass of wine and a cheese board.

All in all, a pleasant experience that I hope Court Wyckoff doesn’t tinker with as he puts his own imprint on his new enterprise.

Randy Diamond: 425-339-3097; randy.diamond@heraldnet.com.