19348 Lowell Road (MAP)
Caldwell, ID  83607
Winery Phone: 208-453-7843

Website:  www.stechapelle.com

Canandaigua Wine Company
Phone:  888-659-7900

Winemaker: Chuck Devlin
Average Annual Production:
150,000 cases
Vineyard Acreage: 
800 acres

Tasting Room Hours: 
Summer Hours: 
June - Labor Day
Monday - Saturday
10 - 5 pm; Sun, 12 - 5pm

Fall, Winter,
Spring Hours:
September - May
Monday - Saturday
11 - 4pm;  Sun, 12 - 4pm

Wines Produced
Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah,
Ice & Sparkling wines

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       From high atop "Winery Hill," Ste. Chapelle Winery overlooks "Sunny Slope," thousands of acres of fertile orchards and farmlands in Southwest Idaho, with the famous Snake River winding through the valley below.  Founded in 1976, Ste. Chapelle Winery is named after the beautiful La Sainte Chapelle in Paris, built as the court chapel by King Louis IX during the 13th century.

        Idaho’s acclaimed volcanic soils, vineyard elevations that range as high as 2,900 feet, and long, sunny days were first discovered by immigrant French and German winemakers in 1872.   Today, as the state’s oldest and largest winery... and still growing, Ste. Chapelle remains dedicated to honoring Idaho’s proud wine-growing tradition and takes pride in showcasing the distinct personality of its vineyards and Snake River Valley terroir.

        Winemaker Chuck Devlin joined Ste. Chapelle in September of 2000 with an impressive academic and winemaking background.  While obtaining a bachelor's degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis, Devlin spent several summers working California harvests.  After graduating from Davis in 1975, Devlin continued in the wine industry in many capacities, including as winemaker and owner of Devlin Wine Cellars. During his tenure as winemaker and owner, Devlin's wines captured numerous medals and awards. 

       At Ste. Chapelle, Chuck’s focus in winemaking is to bring out the unique quality of each vintage in the final wine through slow, cool fermentations for white wines, barrel fermentation for Chardonnay, and maximum development of flavor in red wines. His brings Ste. Chapelle to national prominence by combining the potential of Idaho's wine industry with his own winemaking expertise. 

       An exclusive contract with the state’s largest vineyard, Skyline (375 acres), for outstanding Riesling, Ste Chapelle maintains an enviable reputation for this varietal.  It also produces a wide array of fine varietals including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.  Winemaker Chuck Devlin works closely with University of Idaho and the USDA experimental vineyard at Parma, researching new grape varietals and clones for the future. 

(See feature-story excerpt about Skyline)

(Continue top of next column) 

       “Idaho has the perfect climate for making ice wine,” says Devlin. "The local growing season is very warm, bringing the grapes to full ripeness. Then, by the end of the harvest, temperatures drop to freezing levels early in the evening, usually into the low teens. Temperatures stay low until well after noon the following day, sometimes never warming past freezing."

       This temperature swing happens quickly after the main harvest;  grapes remains in good condition, allowing the winemaker to create a wine that is not only very sweet and condensed, but also free of any off odors. This has been an advantage for Ste. Chapelle, an advantage that won for the 2002 vintage awards like “Best of Class – Dessert Wines” at the 2004 West Coast Wine Competition.

       Every year, Ste. Chapelle hosts a variety of events open to the public. During the summer months, its annual "Jazz at the Winery" Sunday concert series features many Northwest artists.  Ste. Chapelle began this music series more than 20 years ago.

       Ste. Chapelle Winery is open year round for complimentary tours and tastings. Include them in your itinerary to experience award-winning wines in the beautiful setting of its uniquely designed tasting room.

Featured Wines from Ste. Chapelle

Four Riesling Styles at Ste. Chapelle      Idaho’s cool climate provides a perfect environment for Riesling, one of the world’s noble grape varieties.  From its earliest days, Ste. Chapelle has recognized many locations in Idaho that offered growing conditions especially suited to the noble Riesling grape. It has has built an enviable reputation on its more than 25-years of Riesling production.        Taking full advantage of the exceptional Riesling grapes grown here, Ste. Chapelle shows off the noble grape's character in four different wine styles.  All four Rieslings are cold fermented with a German yeast strain to enhance the qualities of the natural fruit. Delicate and beautifully balanced, Ste. Chapelle's Dry Riesling is made in the Alsatian style.  A great dinner partner for many kinds of food, it makes a fine starting point for exploring Ste. Chapelle wines. The lovely, aromatic fruit aroma of Johannisberg Riesling makes it the winery's most popular wine.  A bit of residual sugar makes it versatile enough for dinner or sipping by itself year-round. The Special Harvest Riesling uses the year’s best lots of grapes.  Fermentation is stopped early, leaving a luscious wine with an intoxicating natural sweetness.  It makes a fine dessert either accompanied or all by itself. Ice Wine Idaho provides the perfect conditions for superb ice wine: sufficient warmth to ripen the grapes and cold enough weather right after harvest to freeze them on the vine. Making ice wine is an arduous process in which frozen clusters of super-ripe grapes are gently pressed, yielding a lush nectar. Production is limited as each grape provides only a few drops of concentrated sweetness. Ste. Chapelle began producing ice wine in 1998 and quickly gained a national reputation for this rare dessert wine. Today, the winery offers Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc ice wines, all of which have won “Best of Class” or “Best of Show” honors.

2006 Winemaker's Series Dry Riesling

Grapes for this 2006 Dry Riesling were carefully selected to achieve a perfect balance of rich varietal flavors and crisp acidity.  Riesling vineyards used by Ste Chapelle during this vintage produced tiny berries with impressively concentrated flavors. Cold-fermented in stainless tanks, with no oak aging, the juice for this wine retains wonderfully fragrant aromas and bright, crisp flavors. 

Made in the Alsatian style, this dry Riesling is full-bodied and dry, with succulent peach and apricot flavors and is balanced by crisp acidity, leading to a clean, refreshing finish.  Serve chilled with shellfish and richly sauced seafood and poultry dishes, or alone as a delightful aperitif.

2006 Winemaker's Series Riesling

Every year, Ste. Chapelle selects its most intensely flavored Riesling grapes to make this wine, aiming for a perfect balance of rich peach and apricot flavors and crisp acidity.  The 2006 vintage produced tiny berries with impressively concentrated flavors. The juice was cold-fermented in stainless tanks, then the fermentation was arrested to leave a small amount of residual sweetness (residual sugar: 2.89 g/100ml). 

Delicious flavors of apricots and peaches come with this wine, and crisp acidity adds freshness to the finish, balanced by its natural sweetness.  Serve chilled with shellfish, richly sauced entrées, or alone as a delightful aperitif.

2005 Special Harvest Riesling
Gold Medal - 2006 Riverside International Wine Competition

Notes:  To produce this intensely sweet and fruity wine, we first crushed the freshly picked grapes and immediately pressed the juice off of the skins.  The juice was fermented slowly at a very cool temperature to retain its fresh fruit aroma, and then, at a precise level of residual grape sweetness, the fermentation was stopped by further chilling and filtrating.  This special harvest blend is comprised of the best lots of Riesling. The resulting wine has a lush aroma of apricots, peaches and tropical fruit, and a richly sweet and lingering finish.   Food Affinities:  Best enjoyed by itself, with fresh fruit or with fruit-based desserts.

RED WORLD OF STE. CHAPELLE        Since his first harvest with Ste. Chapelle in 2000, winemaker Chuck Devlin’s introduced techniques that have yielded spectacular results in the reds varietals used at the winery.  In particular, Devlin increased “hangtime” before harvest, facilitating more complete ripening, and extended the time juice ferments on its skins to increase flavor extraction.  Newer plantings in the nearby, and increasingly important, Skyline Vineyard promise continuing advances in fruit quality over the years.

2005 Winemaker's Series Cabernet Sauvignon

The warm days and crisp evenings comprising the high desert climate of Idaho’s Snake River Valley are ideal for producing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon.  After crushing the grapes, the juice from this 2005 vintage was fermented at warm temperatures with a full 10-day maceration to fully extract color and flavor from the grape skins. When fermentation completed, the wine was lightly pressed off the skins, settled, and racked into barrels for aging.  Each barrel lot was closely monitored and only the finest were selected for the final blend. One sip of this delicious wine confirms that Idaho is a prime locale for crafting world-class Cabernet Sauvignon.

Full-bodied and flavorful, with abundant dark cherry fruit balanced by bright acidity.  Delicious with grilled red meats and salmon.

Merlot Chateau Series

Enticing dark-cherry aromas and smooth, full-bodied flavors; delicious with white and red meats - grilled beef, lamb or game, also with hearty pastas.

Soft Red

One of  Ste. Chapelle's "Soft Series"... lower alcohol, softly fruity wines.  With a base of premium wine grapes and a "soft" style, the Soft Red is guaranteed to conquer the hottest of summer days.  The fermentation is stopped early, leaving some natural sweetness.  This wine can stand on its own or with picnic or other casual fare; it is refreshing and easy to drink.  Serve with a couple of ice cubes made of soft red wine and an orange or lime slice as a garnish.

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