2016 Shoup Red

Shoup means Allen Shoup, one of the pioneers of Washington State wine industry. Shoup is a legend in the Pacific Northwest, where he spent 20 years turning Chateau Ste. Michelle into a prestigious powerhouse before going on to lead various ground-breaking Pacific Northwest wine ventures. In 2002 he became managing partner of Long Shadows, an innovative project in which world-famous winemakers make wine with Washington fruit. Shoup has also branched out to launch his own small-production label, simply called Shoup. The winemaker is Giles Nicault, who also is director of winemaking at Long Shadows. Shoup wines are Bordeaux-style blends made of Columbia Valley fruit. Wine Advocate has given the Shoup wines consistently high ratings, calling a recent vintage a “tour de force in Washington state Bordeaux blends.”

Columbia Valley AVA is larger than some states. At 18,000 square miles, or 11 million acres, the appellation covers almost half of Washington State and a small part of Oregon on the south side of the Columbia River. Established in 1984, Columbia Valley contains numerous sub appellations within its boundaries, including Yakima Valley AVA and Walla Walla AVA, both large and important wine districts. Columbia Valley AVA, generally called the Columbia Basin by Pacific Northwesterners, is in the Columbia River Plateau, and the AVA also includes a section of northeastern Oregon. There are dozens of microclimates within this appellation of about 7,000 vineyard acres. Many kinds of grapes are grown in the Columbia Valley, though the principal grapes planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Eastern Washington experiences very hot summers and cold winters, and the northern latitude means that Washington vineyards receive several more hours of sun in the summer than California vineyards. Grapes in Washington therefore have time to develop significant tannins and overall ripeness.