After 11 years of winemaking, Col Solare has remade itself as a brand-new winery, complete with a new state-of-the-art facility on Red Mountain, a recent 90-point wine release and a renewed sense of purpose.

The winery is now international, jointly owned by Piero Antinori of Tuscany, Italy, and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Woodinville. Despite the Italian influence, the winery only uses Bordeaux-blend grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and sometimes Syrah.

Col Solare is made near Benton, west of the Tri-Cities. Marcus Notaro is the winemaker in residence, while Renzo Cotarella, who has been with the Antinori family for more than 25 years, flies in from Italy to help out.

"For the most part, I handle the day-to-day business in and out of the vineyard," says Notaro, who worked at Columbia Crest before moving to Col Solare. "Renzo comes over maybe four times per year and is involved with all the blending."

Ste. Michelle Wine Estate owns 13 wineries in Washington and California. Col Solare is unusual in that it makes just one wine, the Bordeaux blend. The only other winery following that model is Northstar Winery, a Merlot-only operation that produces two wines from Walla Walla and the Columbia Valley.

Piero Antinori, a 26th-generation Italian winemaker, was introduced to Washington's Columbia Valley wines by his friend, the legendary Napa Valley winemaker André Tchelistcheff, who was a consultant at the time for Ste. Michelle. After touring eastern Washington vineyards and tasting the wines of Ste. Michelle, Antinori proposed a partnership with Ste. Michelle. The Antinori family would invest 25 percent in a new joint venture - Col Solare.

Initially, the wine was made in several Ste. Michelle wineries, since there wasn't a brickand- mortar winery. The first Col Solare in 1995 was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

Even though most of the blends received high marks by wine critics over the years, Col Solare still lacked a strong identity outside of wine insiders and enthusiasts. There was no winery to visit that could help boost the brand, and the consumer was confused about what was in the bottle.

A few years ago, the Antinori family upped their stake in the wine to a 50 percent share.

"It was at this time when everyone realized how serious we were about Col Solare," says Keith Love, vice president for communications and corporate affairs at Ste. Michelle Estates. "We knew it was time to build a winery, and Antinori wanted modern technology and a winery that would reflect the origin of the grapes."

Cotarella, who is the director of winemaking for Antinori, agreed it was time for Col Solare to have a place of its own.

"The potential for Washington wines is unlimited, and we are especially pleased to make Col Solare with Chateau Ste. Michelle," Cotarella says. "It is a wine worthy of this beautiful new winery on Red Mountain."

Piero Antinori knew it was time to take the partnership to a higher level and increase production. "We know from experience that to make the very best wine, you must have a winery solely dedicated to it," Antinori says.

Col Solare (Italian for "shining hill") occupies 20 acres near Hedges Cellars. An estate vineyard will be planted this year. The current blend comes from Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills grapes. The winery opens to the public April 12.

The $6 million winery features a subterranean barrel room and an expansive courtyard custom designed to be both a top winery and a tourist destination. It is believed to be the largest European investment in the Washington wine industry.