Champoux Vineyard
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Champoux Vineyard is a
grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...
growing estate located in the
Horse Heaven Hills AVA The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area in southeastern Washington, and is part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA borders the Yakima Valley AVA on the north and the Columbia River on the south ...
of
Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
. Grapes grown in the vineyard have been used to produce some of the most critically acclaimed
Washington wine Washington wine is a wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Washington ranks second in the American wine, United States (behind California wine, California) in the production of wine. By 2017 ...
s with the name Champoux regularly being featured on vineyard designated wines.
Paul Gregutt Paul Gregutt is an American wine writer whose focus is the wine of Oregon and Washington. Gregutt publishes a column titled "Wine Adviser" in ''The Seattle Times'', and contributes to publications such as ''Vineyard & Winery Management'', ''Yakima ...
,
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
writer for the ''
Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...
'' and ''
Wine Enthusiast ''Wine Enthusiast'' magazine is an American wine magazine published by Wine Enthusiast Companies in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, Wine Enthusiast Companies engages in the wine accessories, storage, information, educat ...
'', list Champoux as one of the "top ten" vineyards in the entire state.P. Gregutt ''"Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide"'' pg 90-92 University of California Press 2007
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
grapes from Champoux vineyards were featured in the consecutive 100 point Robert Parker rated wines from
Quilceda Creek Vintners Quilceda Creek Winery is a boutique winery in Snohomish, Washington specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon wine. The winery is named for a nearby creek in Snohomish County. Although the winery facility is located west of the Cascade Range ...
for the 2002 and 2003
vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...
s.A. Sampson '
Champoux Vineyard Reveals History in the Horse Heaven Hills
'' Appellation America (subscription) December 12th, 2007
Located 35 miles (56 km) south of Sunnyside, Washington, the area was originally part of the expansive Mercer Ranch owned by the family of Don Mercer. The first grapes were planted in 1972. Today the Cabernet Sauvignon vines from this original "Block One" site are among the oldest vines in Washington.J. Broom '
Crafting for Quality: Taking Washington wines to the next level
'' ''Seattle Times'' September 6th, 2002
In 1990, Paul and Judy Champoux began leasing the vineyard land from the original owners. Paul, who previously did
viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
work for Chateau Ste Michelle, had been working at the vineyard since the mid-1980s. In 1996, the Champouxes formed a partnership with the owners of the Washington wineries Andrew Will, Powers Winery, Quilceda Creek and Woodward Canyon to purchase the vineyard outright. From an initial , the vineyard has grown to over and features plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling,
Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
,
Lemberger Lemberger is a surname of German origin demonym for a person from the Polish city Lwów (German: ''Lemberg''), now Lviv, Ukraine. Notable people with the surname include: * Georg Lemberger (c.1490–1500 – c.1540–1545), German painter and wood ...
,
Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
, Muscat,
Cabernet franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...
,
Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...
and Petit Verdot.


History

The land that would become Champoux Vineyard was originally part of the expansive Mercer Ranch. The ranch featured vast plantings of several agricultural crops including carrots, corn and potatoes. In the early 1970s, the ranch's owner Don Mercer decided to plant a vineyard with the aim of growing grapes that would rival those of the Bordeaux wine estate Chateau Lafite. The first grapes were planted in 1972, a block of Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The site of the original block was chosen by mere happenstance since it was an isolated segment of the ranch by the main road that was out of the reach of circle
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
sprinklers that would have been needed if the land was to be usable for another agricultural crop. By the mid-1980s there were more planted and winery, Mercer Ranch Vineyards was founded. Paul Champoux, a
hop A hop is a type of jump. Hop or hops may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film * Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel * ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom * Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s and ...
farmer from the Yakima Valley who had previously planted the original
Columbia Crest Chateau Ste. Michelle is Washington State's oldest winery, located in Woodinville, Washington, near Seattle. It produces Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, and Riesling, and has winemaking partnerships with two vintners: Col Solare is an alliance with ...
vineyard overlooking the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
, was hired as a vineyard manager of the estate. In 1989, Mercer Ranch Vineyards folded its winery operation but continued to sell grapes to other Washington winemakers. Paul and his wife Judy began leasing the estate from the Mercers and started to expand with additional plantings of various
grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
. In 1996, the Champouxes formed a partnership with the owners of several Washington wineries to purchase the vineyard outright.


Paul Champoux

Paul Champoux was a hop farmer who was first approached by Chateau Ste Michelle in the late 1970s to oversee the plantings of an expansive vineyard along the Columbia River. His father was a
French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
who moved to Toppenish, Washington as a young child. Not knowing much about the particulars of viticulture, Paul Champoux sought out the tutelage of several pioneers in the Washington wine industry include Dr.
Walter Clore Walter J. Clore (July 1, 1911 – February 3, 2003) was a pioneer in wine growing and agricultural research in Washington state and has been formally recognized by the Washington State Legislature as the "Father of Washington Wine". Among his c ...
, Wade Wolfe from Thurston Wolfe Winery and Clay Mackey from
Chinook Wines Chinook is a Washington winery located in the Yakima Valley AVA. Founded in 1983 by the wife and husband team of Kay Simon and Clay Mackey, Chinook was one of the pioneering wineries that established Prosser, Washington as a major wine-producing re ...
. Champoux worked with Chateau Ste. Michelle, overseeing the plantings that would become part of the Columbia Crest vineyard, from 1979-1986 when he was hired the vineyard manager for Mercer Ranch Vineyards. Paul Champoux is currently chairmen of the Horse Heaven Hills Wine Growers Association. In mid-2009, Paul Champoux was one of two people the Klickitat County Health Department reported as being stricken with the
West Nile virus West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...
. After receiving medical attention in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, Champoux was transferred to a rehab facility in Richland, Washington where he was expected to make a full recovery.


Viticultural practices

While not a certified organic vineyard, Champoux vineyard is farmed with an emphasis on environmental awareness. No synthetic fertilizers has been used on the property in over 20 years with
cover crop In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife i ...
s and
compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...
used to help sustain the
microbial A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...
activity in the soil. Maintaining healthy levels of
magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...
and other plant nutrients early vine growing season is a priority in order to ensure proper build ups of sugars in the grapes by the time ''
véraison In viticulture, veraison (french: véraison, ) is the onset of the ripening of the grapes. The official definition of ''veraison'' is "change of color of the grape berries". Veraison represents the transition from berry growth to berry ripening, ...
'' occurs later in the season. Paul Champoux works with many of the individual winemakers that use his grapes to tailor the vine's maintenance to their
winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...
needs. He has broken the growing season down into the "seasons of the vine", which are initial growth, reproductive cycle, secondary growth/berry development, lag phase, and veraison/maturation. During each of those different seasons, Champoux applies a different nutritional package of nutrients through the leaves to give the vine what it needs for the upcoming stage. In recent years, he has been experimenting with Rick Small, owner of Woodward Canyon, with delaying the early season pruning of the vine's canopy in order to get more
physiologically ripe In viticulture, ripeness is the completion of the ripening process of wine grapes on the vine which signals the beginning of harvest. What exactly constitutes ripeness will vary depending on what style of wine is being produced ( sparkling, still, ...
grapes but at lower potential sugar/ alcohol levels. Another technique that Champoux employs is spraying nutrients directly onto the leaves of grape vines, rather than on the ground. This not only minimizes the amount of chemicals that could potentially seep into the ground but also lessens the number of times that the nutrients would need to be re-applied.


Plantings

In 2007, Champoux Vineyard had a little over planted. The most sought after grapes for winemakers is the original 1972 "Block One" plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon which includes some of the oldest grapevines in the state. Today the Cabernet Sauvignon plantings are divided into 5 blocks, varying according to vine age and featuring different mesoclimate characteristics. All the blocks remain in high demand among Washington winemakers with some winemakers using the unique '' terroir'' characteristics of each block to blend into a vineyard designated Champoux Cabernet Sauvignon. *84 acres (34 ha) of Cabernet Sauvignon *30 acres (12 ha) of Riesling *16 acres (6 ha) of Chardonnay *13 acres (5 ha) of Lemberger *10 acres (4 ha) of Merlot *8 acres (3 ha) of Cabernet franc *7 acres (2.8 ha) of Muscat *2 acres (0.81 ha) of Syrah By 2009 the number had grown to and included plantings of Malbec,
Muscat Canelli Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
,
Orange Muscat The Muscat family of grapes includes over 200 grape varieties belonging to the ''Vitis vinifera'' species that have been used in wine production and as raisin and table grapes around the globe for many centuries. Their colors range from white ...
and Petite Verdot.Washington Wine Association '
Champoux Vineyards, LLC
'' Accessed: December 13th, 2009


See also

*
Boushey Vineyard Boushey Vineyard is a grape-growing estate located in the Yakima Valley AVA, north of Grandview, Washington. Grapes grown in the vineyard have been used to produce some of the most critically acclaimed Washington wines with the name Boushey regula ...
*
Red Willow Vineyard Red Willow Vineyard is a grape-growing estate located in the far western end of Yakima Valley AVA, within the Yakama Indian Reservation. Beginning with their relationship with Columbia Winery and Master of Wine David Lake, grapes from Red Willow ...


References

{{reflist, 2


External links


Chateau Champoux
- official site Washington (state) wine