Picpoul: the joys of simple wine

We have heard of this obscure white grape, often in the context of it being one of the 13 authorised Chateauneuf du Pape grapes. Beaucastel is proud to have all 13 in its wine, for example. For the first time, I am enjoying this as a single variety wine, with oysters, whelk and clams in Boulouris, just outside of St Raphael center along the French Riviera coastline.

I had tried a Cotes de Provence white at another restaurant near my hotel and it was served very cold to hide the imbalance of alcohol and fruit. Too much alcohol. But this Picpoul was crisp, fresh and delightful. Not complex, no lingering finish or anything. But just a great drink to go with seafood.

Now that is wine pleasure, with no purse pain.

Kysela imports a fun one. Picpoul de Pinet from Hughues de Beaulieu (spelling?).

Yes, a ‘house wine’ of their own creation. Theirs is slightly more fruity than most but extremely consistent. Others are more like a Muscadet with lower acidity.

Not too much experience with Picpoul, but the one I have had (Felines Jourdan) was a very enjoyable substitute for Muscadet. The brightness & brinyness with a bit more oomph. Board member Michel Abood imports it…but I’d still buy it in spite of that.

Why would you want to drink a wine whose simplicity guarantees it will never get a score over 90???
I put Picpoul in the same category of Vermentino or Albarino; not a pprofound drink, but something that sometimes the moment
just calls for. Most of the ones you see come from the Languedoc.
I particularly like the version that TablasCreek produces. It has that stoney/lean/mineral character that speaks of Picpoul,
but a degree of richness & lushness that bespeaks its Calif origins.
Tom

Love this wine. to me it combines the chaulky, mineral, brinyness of a muscadet with more of the smooth charm of a chenin blanc. A case buy for me under $10.00 per bottle

I have a bottle on deck for this week. Can’t recall the producer right now, but it is an 06, so I’ll see if it still has a little life.

Chateau de la Bastide has been my white house wine for a while now. I recently ordered two more cases of it after going through about two cases.

Terry Hoage was previewing one at HdR that I really really liked . . . they’ve planted a small amount of it at their estate and IIRC will bottle one separately and then blend it with other white rhones - check it out if you can find it!

Cheers.

The restaurant in question, L’Olympe, has a very good reputation in Boulouris. But the owner - a nice guy - marks up the wines quite a bit: the Picpoul we enjoyed costs him 4 euros, and he charges about 16 euros per bottle. A restaurant price for a decent bottle of wine, and it sells very well… so the price/quality ratio is there, but that is quite a mark up. Anyway, the wine is Picpoul de Pinet Coteaux de Languedoc ‘L’Ormarine’ 2008. I was talking it up, but in the context of shellfish on a summer vacation with great weather. Still, I may order some bottles just to try it again back home.

Awwww… you guys rock!

Disclaimer: I represent this wine, so take what I say with a grain of salt as I am shamelessly shilling this wine.

Honestly, I can’t take credit for the quality. Claude’s wines are very well-made, and they’re built to age (for Picpoul, that is). I had her 2004 earlier this year and it was still kicking, with more nutty and oxydative aspects but still holding its minerality and acidity.

I had a bottle of the 2017 HB Picpoul de Pinet [Costieres de Pomerols] brought in by Kysela earlier this week, with stir fried clams and long green beans in a black bean sauce. I hadn’t heard of this country wine AOC before, which I assume is somewhere in the Languedoc. The wine isn’t as crisp as I’d expected/hoped, but is still ok. It has enough fruit to be enjoyed by itself, without food. Bottled under screwcap too. I’ve got another bottle as I had two separate retailers urge me to try it, and I’d forgotten there already was one in the kitchen quaffing racks, but it doesn’t seem zippy enough for shellfish/mollusks. To wit: we had crabs & beet greens in a coconut curry the next night, and I paired that with a FdSG Fiano Avellino instead. I thought there were some straw/hay notes (like Chenin Blanc) in this Picpoul.

For my tastes it’s a B, and I’d pass on reloading.

Vesper Vineyards, in Escondido
CA, used to make a Picpoul that I enjoyed. I just checked their site and I don’t see one now.

Gramercy in Washington state has made a very nice one in small amounts, often just available at the winery, then their supplier pulled up the vines. Damn. I forgot whether they found an alternative source or not.

I’m also a fan of the Gramercy Picpoul. I think the vineyard that pulled their Picpoul was Olsen, the past couple of vintages were from Los Oidos although there was very little of it available from the 2017 vintage. Definitely buy if you can.

-Al

Thanks for the info, John!

I never considered Washington to be a place for Picpoul, but the very idea of one (from Gramercy to boot!) is very intriguing. I will keep my eyes out for some - from any producer.

Picpoul has a unique way, whether it’s an enzyme or some sort of inherent phenolic, of neutralizing iodine in shellfish and crustaceans, making it one of the best wines to pair with seafood… Cheers Panos

Did someone hack my little buddy’s account?

Or perhaps he is sober, or the complete opposite.

Adelaida makes a nice one, as well.

Posting is 9 years old, but I like Picpoul very much when in the South of France and looking for a lively white (instead of any rosé) for the table, be it in a restaurant - or for the evening when dining inn our appartement.
However I almost never buy a bottle to take home to Austria - we have so many whites still far better for any purpose, but in Southern France it´s simply perfect if you don´t wanna drink a heavy white Cotes-du-Rhone or Languedoc.
Cassis can also be nice, but at 5 times the price.