The French Connection

Ex-pats are making a place in Washington wine, and taking it to the next level

WHY, I WONDERED, would highly educated, multitalented French winemakers and vignerons (winemaker/grape-growers) move to Walla Walla to make wine?

On the face of it, it seems like a group of Eskimos moving to the desert to hunt seals.

Yet they keep coming, to visit, to work and ultimately, to make a life. Christophe Baron founded Cayuse winery in 1997, dug through acres of river rock to plant his vineyards, became the first biodynamically certified winery in Washington last year and just built his own production facility across from his Armada vineyard. His license plate reads "WWSYRAH."

Gilles Nicault arrived in Washington in 1994, moved to Walla Walla in 1996, was named Woodward Canyon's winemaker in 1999 and is now overseeing all winemaking projects for Long Shadows, the superstar winery collective created by Allen Shoup. Nicault is married to Eve-Marie Gilla, whose Washington résumé includes time at Covey Run, Hogue Cellars and Gordon Brothers before she moved to Walla Walla to start Forgeron winery in 2001.

About that time Serge Laville, aerial photographer-turned-winemaker, visited friends in Walla Walla, met his future wife and began working at Spring Valley Vineyard. When that winery was acquired by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates this past summer, Laville was made full-time winemaker.

Jean-Francois (J-F) Pellet is the odd man out in this group; he's a third-generation vigneron from Switzerland, not France. His route to Walla Walla led through Germany, Spain, South Africa and finally the Joseph Heitz winery in Napa. From there he was recruited to become winemaker at Pepper Bridge in 1999, adding Amavi to his portfolio a few years later.

Pellet explains why they come: "I'm almost 40, and all my friends who stayed in Europe have no freedom. Their fathers are still telling them how to do things. A little bit of tradition is very good, but when it's 100 percent? It's very sad sometimes."

It is the freedom to break from tradition, to make whichever wines they want, however they choose, dictated only by the economics of the business, that especially appeals to these wine pioneers.

"In France," Gilla points out, "even if something is good for the winery it doesn't mean that you can do it. The only regulation here is economics. And the flow of energy moves so much faster. The French are used to having a winery pass from grandfather to father to son."

Nicault chimes in: "In France there is no way I could make syrah, cabernet sauvignon and riesling all together." Not to mention merlot and sweet dessert wines and blends of grapes from all over the state, while working with top talent from around the world.

Virginie Bourgue landed in Walla Walla three years ago with a stack of degrees in virtually every aspect of grape-growing, winemaking and winery management. She had years of hands-on experience at some of Champagne's top houses. But at Bergevin Lane she was offered the chance to design a new winery from scratch, to add wines to the existing lineup, and to explore virtually virgin winemaking territory.

Like the others, she has had to make an adjustment from the more elegant, earthy and restrained European wine styles to the full-blown, fruit-driven flavors of American wines. "American wines," says Bourgue, "I think are more powerful than French wines. It seems the American wine drinker needs that. Here if the nose is good — fruity, like candy — people will say 'yeah!' "

The latest adventurer to join the ex-pat ranks is Christophe Paubert, named winemaker for Canoe Ridge just this past fall. Sharp, decisive and handsome, Paubert boasts the most impressive résumé of all, with winemaking stints at Chateau d'Yquem, Gruaud Larose and massive projects in Chile, Spain and New Zealand. But the lure of America's West Coast proved irresistible, and the job at Canoe Ridge has him wide-eyed with anticipation.

"I am a terroir winemaker," he says. "I want to express the terroir. You will never express terroir if you over-ripen, over-oak and keep your wine two years in barrels. First you need to want to express it; then you need to know how."

Terroir, you see, is the Holy Grail of winemaking. It is taking grapes from a particular place and creating exceptional wines, wines whose aromas and flavors express, in a unique and pleasurable way, the imprint of that place. The great wines in the world have terroir. It will take time, decades perhaps, to make true terroir wines in Washington. But these passionate, dedicated winemakers believe it can be done. Stay tuned; the best is yet to come.

Paul Gregutt writes the Wednesday wine column for The Seattle Times and covers Northwest wine for the Wine Enthusiast magazine. Write to him at wine@seattletimes.com. Barry Wong is a Seattle-based freelance photographer. He can be reached at barrywongphoto@earthlink.net.