International winemaking expertise meets Washington grown grapes
It can take a lifetime or longer for a winery to earn the allusive feeling of perfection in a single varietal. But what if varietal masters themselves showed a single winery their tricks of the trade? While there are no shortcuts in the winemaking process, the late wine entrepreneur Allen Shoup and French winemaker Gilles Nicault may have found the formula to create an exquisite international wine portfolio from top to bottom, all in the Pacific Northwest.
With the guidance of nine renowned winemakers, Walla Walla winery Long Shadows has made it their goal to reflect some of the world’s most beloved wines while using Washington state grapes. Winemakers from Italy, Germany, Chile, France, Australia and California have helped inspire a beautiful portfolio of the world’s wines made with grapes from their five eastern Washington vineyards. In May, Long Shadows opened a new tasting room in Woodinville. Wine enthusiasts and curious people alike are sure to enjoy their flight of wines, charcuterie boards and flatbreads. However, what makes Long Shadows such a unique winery is the work behind the scenes.
A Partnership is Born
Shoup, a pioneer of the modern Washington wine industry, founded Long Shadows in 2002 with the vision of partnering with international winemakers while showcasing the diversity of Washington’s homegrown grapes. Previously the CEO of Chateau Ste. Michelle, Shoup was widely respected in the wine industry, which helped him assemble an incredible group of winemakers at Long Shadows with different specialties and insight.
For his part, winemaker Gilles Nicault heard of Shoup’s ambitious vision and was especially interested in the prospect of working with world-renowned French winemaker Michel Rolland, whom Shoup had recruited for the Long Shadows venture. One day, Nicault saw Shoup at a tasting event and approached him. “I started talking to him and I said, ‘I love your venture, I think it’s incredible, it’s so unique,’” recalls Nicault.
The two clicked. Shoup said he was looking for someone experienced like Nicault, who studied winemaking in France and came to Yakima Valley in 1994 for a one-year internship and subsequently took a full-time job at Woodward Canyon Winery in Lowden, Washington. Shoup ultimately brought on Nicault as head winemaker in 2003, and he has held that title at Long Shadows for two decades.
Masterful Collaborations
Since then, Nicault has worked hand-in-hand with celebrated winemakers, such as Rolland, each on a specific varietal. For Nicault, working with Rolland on Pedestal Merlot, Long Shadow’s Merlot, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When he’s not busy managing his five estate wineries in France, Rolland is a wine entrepreneur who works as a consultant for over 100 wineries and vineyards worldwide.
Rolland and the other winemakers are more than consultants for Long Shadows, they’re inspirations and hands-on winemakers. The commitment and investment go as far as flying the winemakers out to Washington to work with Nicault in person at their vineyards in the Columbia Valley. This way, Nicault can pick up some of the subtleties of each winemaker’s process.
Nicault describes working with an array of prominent international winemakers as “incredible.” Still, he emphasizes that the goal at Long Shadows is to make wine that reflects Washington’s terroir.
“They bring their winemaking techniques and styles of winemaking, so [we] work closely together to create a wine that reflects their style of wines,” Nicault says. “But we don’t want to duplicate what they do in their home or regions — we want to showcase the Columbia Valley at the same time.”
Within the world of wine artistry, each person Nicault worked with has earned a great deal of recognition. The other winemakers Nicault has worked with while at Long Shadows include: Randy Dunn of California on Feather Cabernet Sauvignon, John Duval of Australia on Sequel Syrah, Phillippe Melka of France and Agustin Huneeus, Sr. of Chile on Pirouette (Bordeaux Blend), Armin Diel of Germany on Poet’s Leap Riesling, and Ambroio and Giovanni Folonari of Italy on Saggi (Sangiovese/Cabernet Blend).
Nicault’s Insight
For Nicault, one of the biggest challenges in winemaking is creating a wine that has strong concentration and intensity while remaining balanced and elegant. “In a way, there’s a fine line because elegance is sometimes a bit weak,” says Nicault.
Fortunately, he trusts himself, and more specifically, his palate. “Nowadays, we can also know exactly what’s happening in the wine with microbiology and chemistry,” Nicault says. “And it’s really important to look at this, but at the same time, trust your palate. To keep making wine with character, you have to trust palate over eyes. If you just look at numbers, I think it’s going to be more mono-dimensional.”
With over 20 years of excellence, Long Shadows has carved out a niche in Washington. Allen Shoup’s vision came to fruition, and it continues to grow. With their new Woodinville tasting room opening last May, it has never been easier to taste these internationally inspired, yet homegrown wines. For those unable to visit the tasting rooms in Walla Walla or Woodinville, visit their Wine Shop online.
