Bob Bertheau

The Climb

That progression helped shape a winemaker whose career would become closely identified with Washington state. In 2003, Bob became winemaker of white wines at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington state, and from 2004 he served as head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington state. The arc from summer tasting room work to one of the state’s defining wine roles suggests not only longevity, but a rare accumulation of instincts: for vineyard expression, for balance, and for the patient craft required to turn harvest decisions into something lasting in the glass. Today, Bob is senior vice president of winemaking of Chateau Ste. Michelle, a title that reflects both responsibility and the breadth of experience behind it.

Today

Bertheau’s guiding philosophy is direct, and tellingly unsentimental in the best way. He makes wines, he says, to show a sense of place, to deliver enjoyment with food, and to outperform their style and price. There is also, in his view, an added dimension for higher-priced wines: they need to show a certain sense of aging. The statement captures a winemaker thinking about more than immediate charm. It suggests a belief in structure, proportion, and longevity — wines that can sit comfortably at the table, but also reward patience and reveal themselves over time.

Signature

Bob’s signature wines include Eroica Riesling. In a career shaped by white-wine precision and a deep engagement with regional character, that name stands as a clear marker of the style and sensibility associated with his work: poised, expressive, and attentive to what a wine can say about where it comes from.

In Their Words “I have learned how to bring out the varietal character and regional expression in Washington reds which have amazing depth and concentration due to our climate, soil and diurnal temperature fluctuations.” That comment distills one of the central themes of Bertheau’s winemaking life: the effort to translate place into flavor, and to do so with clarity rather than decoration. He speaks here not just of making wine, but of drawing out what is already present — the character of the grape and the voice of the region, shaped by climate, soil and diurnal temperature fluctuations. “My guiding philosophy is to make wines that show a sense of place, deliver enjoyment with food, and outperform their style and price. Higher-priced wines also need to show a certain sense of aging.” Taken together, the two remarks sketch a philosophy both practical and exacting. Wine, in Bertheau’s telling, should be rooted in place, welcome at the table, and honest in relation to its category. And when the bottle carries greater ambition — and greater price — it should also carry the grace of ageability.

Recognition

A central public marker of Bertheau’s career is his work as head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle from 2004 to 2021. That long tenure anchors his profile: years of shaping wines within one of Washington state’s best-known estates, and years of translating the region’s strengths into bottles that speak with distinction. He has also described a specific Washington red-wine practice: “I have learned how to bring out the varietal character and regional expression in Washington reds which have amazing depth and concentration due to our climate, soil and diurnal temperature fluctuations.”