- Great story from my wine rep: “It is also one of our fastest selling wines. The story goes like this. Greg Harrington at Gramercy Cellars had been bugging a vineyard owner to switch a vineyard from white grapes to syrah, and plant it the way Greg wanted. After a few years the farmer finally says okay, BUT Greg has to make one vintage of picpoul. Apparently everyone who had ever bought this guys picpoul had just blended it into chardonnay or whatever to give it acid. Greg says okay, makes a vintage of picpoul and figures he will sell it at the tasting room only. So this picpoul is the fastest selling wine the tasting room ever had. Greg goes back to the farmer to see if he can stop him from grafting those vines over, but he is too late. Alas, he tells this story to another local who had been buying that picpoul from the tasting room. A few weeks later, that guy comes back to tell Greg he found him another amazing source for picpoul in Walla Walla! So Gramercy Cellars makes very little of this and it is delicious. It crisp and refreshing without being lean. It is as if Greg asked God to make a wine that is perfect with oysters and he said yes.”
What exactly is Picpoul? The grape, translated as “lip stinger,” is thought to be native to France’s Languedoc region. Made on its own as Picpoul de Pinet, its real advantage is to add acidity and freshness to white Chateauneuf-du-Pape blends. When the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape began their California-based Tablas Creek project, they decided that Picpoul would suit the warm vineyards of California exceptionally well. In Washington, the results are stunning - Picpoul from Los Oidos is the perfect, crisp summer white from Washington. It is the definition of crunchy, with screaming acidity and freshness. Be careful because this bottle will disappear quickly. Tasting Notes: Meyer lemon, honeydew melon, mango, guava. Peach and apricot. White pepper, stone, mineral. Some sweet green herb like tarragon or chervil. High acid, racy and fresh. A bit more robust than past vintages. More Friuli than Alto Adige. No oak, but a bit of sweet cream, lees on the finish.