Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, LLC 401(k) Review & Grade
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates LLC 401(k) Plan
Woodinville, WAManufacturing692 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$4,742Employer $ per active participant
$8,721Employee $ saved per active participant
0.33%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$51.2MNet plan assets, end of year
$49,162Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity40.5 / 5081th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost9.3 / 2537th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving12.7 / 1584th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score70 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 81th |
| Lower admin cost | 37th |
| Employee saving | 84th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $18,789 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Ste. Michelle Wine Estates put in about $4,742 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $3,281,367 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $6,034,732 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,070,670 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $158,259 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $44,765 |
| Other admin expenses | $5,000 |
| Benefits paid out | $9,731,375 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $44.9M / $51.2M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 657 / 727 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,041 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Baker Tilly US, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $84,344 reported compensation |
| Multnomah Group Inc. | $26,667 reported compensation |
| Baker Tilly US LLP | $24,150 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013160431NAL0002359296001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 91-0897041, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.