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While ruminating about what my next story would be, I had a delicious snack of hummus and pita bread with a glass of L’Arete de Thau Piquepoul & Terret from the eastern Languedoc region. That wine was bright, aromatic and inspiring!
The Piquepoul or Picpoul grape originates in France’s Rhône region where it is one of the 13 grapes allowed in a Chateauneuf du Pape and the Languedoc.
The Languedoc region produces more than a third of the grapes in France. Wines from the Languedoc region along the Mediterranean coast are labeled Languedoc. Languedoc wines from the interior can be labeled Franton, Gaillac, Limoux or Côtes du Rhône.
Translated, Picpoul means “lip stinger” because of it’s bracing acidity. And like the Pinot family, it comes in blanc, noir and gris, with blanc being the most planted.
And like many vitis vinifera grapes, it has found a home in Washington vineyards. Especially in the sandier vineyards in eastern Washington.
Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla Valley has been fermenting Picpoul since 2013. They source the grapes from the Los Oidos Vineyard in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.
The Picpoul grape planted here is a Tablas Creek Clone A, meaning that it comes from Tablas Creek in California which was founded in 1990 by the Perrin family. The Perrin family are the proprietors of Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf de Pape.
Another vineyard planted to Picpoul is Boushey Vineyards in Yakima Valley. This celebrated vineyard on the southern slopes of the Rattlesnake Mountains, produces many varietals of distinctive character.
Before Yakima Valley was even an AVA, Dick Boushey first planted his vineyards to Cabernet and Merlot in 1980. Other varietals, both red and white, followed with the most recent planting in 2003.
Planted on generally south-facing slopes varying from 700 to 1400 ft. in elevation, the vineyards are composed of layered soils on top of fractured basalt. With these different types of soil and cooler elevations, the grapes take longer to ripen. And the longer ripening time means grapes with more complex aromas and flavors.
Established in 2016, Callan Cellars is a boutique winery in the Woodinville Artisan Hill District. Winemaker Lisa Callan crafts both Bordeaux and Rhone style wines from grapes sourced from several AVAs, most notably Red Mountain’s Ciel de Cheval Vineyard and Yakima’s Boushey Vineyards.
She crafts crisp Rhone-style whites from Boushey Vineyard’s Picpoul and Grenache Blanc. I tasted her Picpoul years ago at a Taste Washington event and have been a fan ever since.
Her first year, Callan made an impressive Grenache Blanc from Boushey Vineyards and it has since become her largest production wine. Both the Picpoul and Grenache Blanc have garnered multiple awards.
In southwest Washington, Syncline Winery has been operating since 1999. This small winery sources their grapes from some fabulous vineyards, in addition to their own estate vineyards in the Columbia Gorge AVA.
In 2011, winemaker James Mantone first fermented Picpoul from Boushey Vineyards. “Impressed by the quality, delicious complexity and brilliant acidity,” he planned “to keep working with this vineyard for the long term.”
Twelve years later, the grapes are now whole cluster pressed and then settled overnight before vinifying in concrete tanks. The result is a delicious, crisp, aromatic white that would be a perfect pairing with seafood or hummus.
Sycline’s owners James and Poppie Mantone specialize in some of the most unique wines available in Washington. Not many places on the west coast grow and hand harvest Cinsault, Gamay Noir, Gruner Veltliner or Mourvedre in their vineyards. The Mantones do.
Directly west of their vineyards and winery is a massive 2,100-foot formation of columnar basalt cliffs rising into the Cascades out of the Columbia River. Known locally as the “Coyote Wall Syncline,” it’s a very prominent feature.
This dramatic feature is what inspired the winery’s name. Syncline is, in geological terms, a trough of stratified rock in which the beds dip toward each other from either side. It is at this point in the Columbia Gorge that the rainier western side transitions to the semi-arid eastern Washington desert.
The Columbia Gorge AVA is one of four Washington AVAs that shares its borders with neighboring states. This particular one, bisected by the Columbia River, dips into Oregon. Total acreage is 186,610 with 120,010 acres in Oregon. However, only 925 acres on both sides are planted to the vine.
Other unique features of this AVA is the variation of geography, elevations and climate. One side is affected by the maritime climate and the other is more high desert, as a result, the west side is cooler than the east side. This extreme climate variation makes this unique AVA a region where many different grape varieties thrive.
But back to the food and wine part. Besides being inspired by that pairing of Picpoul and hummus that led to this missive on Washington state Picpoul, I also received an invite to a harvest celebration at Syncline Winery.
In celebration of the bountiful harvest, Syncline’s event on November 12 is billed as a Harvest Roast. Chef and Farmer Matt Dillon will fire roast meat, produce, and wild mushrooms from his Old Chaser Farm. Tickets get you a fire roasted meal, glass of wine and live entertainment. Purchase tickets from SynclineWinery.com. Sounds like a wonderful time.
Mary Earl has been educating Kitsap wine lovers for a couple of decades, is a longtime member of the West Sound Brew Club and can pair a beer or wine dinner in a flash. She volunteers for the Clear Creek Trail and is a longtime supporter of Silverdale.
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