WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Atthe center of this constellationfeaturing some of the wine

world’s brightest stars stands Gilles Nicaultalongside founding owner Allen Shoup atstoried Long Shadows Vintners.

Some may not realize Nicault already was astandout winemaker in 2003 when he helpedlaunch Long Shadows, transferring his talents

from famed Woodward Canyon, just sevenmiles to the west.

“I didn’t deserve that luck,” Shoup said.“My life has been made up of a lot of fortu-nate situations, and Gilles is right there at thetop.”

Their remarkable teamwork, stunningwines and seemingly endless string of success-es prompted Wine Press Northwest to select

L O N G S H A D O W S V I N T N E R S

BY ERIC DEGERMAN

Richard Duval

Long Shadows winemaker Gilles Nicaultpicks Cabernet Sauvignon samples fromCandy Mountain Vineyard.

FEATURE winer y of the year

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Long Shadows Vintners as its 2018 PacificNorthwest Winery of the Year.

Fifteen years ago, Nicault’s choice to leaveWoodward Canyon for this cutting-edgeproject was bittersweet for founding wine-maker/co-owner Rick Small.

“This was Gilles’ second time back with mebecause he had worked for me before, but Itold Allen that it was such a great opportuni-ty for Gilles and I was happy for him,” Smallsaid. “Gosh, the times we spent with Gillesand (wife) Marie-Eve (Gilla) learning aboutFrench culture, their values and their appre-ciation for wine and food were such wonder-ful times. It changed our lives, and Gilles andI are still very, very good friends.”

Shoup, who resigned as CEO of Ste. Mi-chelle Wine Estates in 2000, already hadsigned up famed Bordeaux winemaker MichelRolland, John Duval of Penfolds Grangefame in Australia and Agustin Huneeus Sr. ofstoried Quintessa in Napa, who then broughtaboard Philippe Melka. Also signed on wereNapa Valley’s Randy Dunn, Armin Diel fromGermany and the Italian father/son team ofAmbrogio and Giovanni Folonari.

Diel recently has stepped away, as have theChianti Classico producers, but their in-spiration remains in the Riesling programbranded as Poet’s Leap and the Super Tuscan-styled Saggi.

“It was an all-star team for real, and theywere coming to Eastern Washington,” Nicaultsaid. “This was Allen’s vision to bring allthese winemakers, and it’s not just benefitedLong Shadows. It’s benefited everyone inWashington state by bringing in their wine-making techniques, improving the quality inthe grapes and the awareness of all thesewines. All of these international winemakershave followings, so they are looking at ourwines.”

Dunn produces the Cabernet Sauvignonbrand known as Feather. Duval’s Syrah iscalled Sequel. For Melka, it is the Left BankBordeaux blend Pirouette. Rolland developsMerlot-heavy Pedestal.

Nicault and his team continue the tradi-tions for Poet’s Leap and Saggi.

And then there’s Chester-Kidder, the blendof Syrah with Cab that Shoup and Nicaultcollaborate on by themselves. It is named forShoup’s mother and paternal grandmother,and the 2014 Chester-Kidder ($60) earned aPlatinum last year from Wine Press North-west. The 2009 vintage was poured at the

White House.Shoup describes Nicault, who oversees

18,000 cases, as a “phenomenon.”“It comes across in everything he does,”

Shoup said. “He does get upset if he findsbad glass in the bottling line, but otherwisehe’s remarkably positive and that extends tothe public.”

Nicault, the son of a wine merchant inAvignon, France, was 33 when he landed thejob with Long Shadows, and while he hasn’tlooked back, he continues to feel the pressureof the job.

“This is Allen’s vision, and he has earned somuch respect that I’ve always wanted to makethe best wine in the world,” Nicault said.“Allen has given me all the tools for success,and I can’t screw up. I get to work with thebest grapes, the best equipment, the bestbarrels. I have a great team here - and a greatfriendship with Allen and all of the wine-makers.”

In the early days, there were more visitswith Nicault’s mentors and wine samplesbeing shipped across the globe to these in-ternational stars. In some instances, he’d fly toCalifornia to meet with Melka and Rolland.And now that Shoup and Nicault have fo-cused on the core vineyards for their pro-gram, winemakers such as Dunn and Duvaltime their visits to the harvest for their wines.

“I love the communication and the direc-tion that I get from the other winemakers,”Nicault said. “It is my job to make uniquewine that’s going to reflect each winemaker’sstyle.”

Shoup is a man of intellect and understatedelegance. His résumé in the world of luxurygoods includes E & J Gallo, the world’s larg-est wine producer, and cosmetics giant MaxFactor. He arrived in Washington in 1980 towork at what is now Ste. Michelle WineEstates, where he spent 20 years. His resigna-tion was by no means a retirement.

His storied career at Ste. Michelle includedcreating the Auction of Washington Wines in1988 to raise money for Seattle Children’sHospital.

“There’s probably not a person in Wash-ington who has been here a while whodoesn’t know someone who’s benefited fromthe services of Children’s Hospital,” Shouppoints out.

It has since included Washington StateUniversity’s winemaking program and growninto the fourth-largest charity wine auction in

Long Shadows founder Allen Shoup speaks atthe Auction of Washington Wines Gala inWoodinville, Wash.

Richard Duval

Long Shadows Vintners1604 Frenchtown Road

Walla Walla, WA 99362

Winery tasting room open by appointment

https://longshadows.com

Long Shadows VintnersTasting Room - Woodinville

14450 Woodinville-Redmond Road, #105

Woodinville, WA 98072

“This is Allen’s vision, and he has earned so much

respect that I’ve alwayswanted to make the best

wine in the world.”Gilles Nicault, Long Shadows Vintners

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winer y of the year FEATURE

14 Wine P ress Nor thwes t • Spr ing 2018 WINEPRESSNW.COM

the U.S., a benefit that has raised more than$41 million.

Shoup’s accomplishments at Ste. Michelleincluded the collaboration with the Antinorifamily of Italy that in 1995 became Col So-lare, now a grand property and winery onRed Mountain.

Its inspiration was Opus One, the jointventure between Robert Mondavi and BaronPhilippe de Rothschild. Mondavi became acherished figure for Shoup.

“He had so much influence over me in somany ways,” Shoup said. “He was like a sec-ond father.”

Mondavi was an early supporter of LongShadows and there were plans for him to be apartner, but he became ill and died in 2008at the age of 94. Shoup delivered one ofMondavi’s eulogies.

Like Col Solare and the Eroica Rieslingproject, which Shoup also developed for Ste.Michelle, Long Shadows was designed withsommeliers in mind.

“Anyone who makes fine wines sees them-selves for white tablecloth restaurants andsees that as a significant part of their business,but now with so many wine collectors andserious wine drinkers, that allows us to sellmore than 50 percent direct to the consum-er,” Shoup said.

That magnificence has trickled down intothe predictable success for Nine Hats, a refer-ence to the nine principals involved at LongShadows.

“We would have these barrels of very ex-pensive and very good wine that didn’t makethe blends of these folks,” Shoup said. “Thefastest-growing category is the $30 and under,so we decided to take it further. We don’tserve it any longer in Woodinville, and neverserved it in Walla Walla because we wanted toprotect the Long Shadows Vintners name.”

The second label, which Shoup firstsketched out on a restaurant napkin, has

become so successful that it now has its owntasting room in Seattle’s SODO Urbanworks.

“It just doesn’t stop,” Nicault said. “Thename, the packaging, everything has beenincredible.”

This winter, Shoup became a restaurateurby opening Nine Pies, a pizza bar and full-service restaurant led by executive chef CaryKemp that’s adjacent to the Nine Hats tastingroom.

Shoup often gets asked about a 10th “hat”

to Long Shadows. Sparkling wine is a glaringabsence, but it isn’t a fit for a winery devotedto the Columbia Valley.

“You would be competing against such anestablished and powerful image in Cham-pagne,” Shoup said. “No one has made $100sparkling wine in the United States, and inWashington we don’t even grow the mostimportant grape (Pinot Noir) for it.”

Nicault quips, “The only thing I want todo with bubbles is drink them.”

Richard Duval

Long Shadows winemakers Randy Dunn, John Duval and Gilles Nicault in Pepper Bridge Vineyard.

Richard Duval

An exquisite Chihuly glass chandelier shinesover visitors to Long Shadows in Walla Walla.

Richard Duval

Sunset on the patio at LongShadows winery in the WallaWalla Valley.

“Anyone who has gone toProvence has come back and

wondered, ‘Why aren’t wedrinking something like this

back home?’ ”Allen Shoup, founding owner of Long

Shadows Vintners

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Over time, however, they’ve created aChardonnay called Dance as well as brandswith tiny production called Shoup (a redBordeaux blend) and Côte Nicault, a tip ofthe cap to the Rhône Valley’s GSM blends ofGrenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Nicaultworks closely on it with Tedd Wildman’sremarkable StoneTree Vineyard on the Wah-luke Slope.

The second generation at Long Shadowsseems firmly in place with young Ryan

Shoup, who manages the tasting rooms, andstepson Dane Narbaitz entrenched as presi-dent. His background includes sales positionswith Kendall-Jackson and Mondavi, whereOpus One was part of his portfolio. And theremarkable rosé of Pinot Gris — Julia’s Daz-zle — is named after Narbaitz’s daughter andwas inspired by Domaines Ott, a storied roséproducer in Provence.

“I wanted to do something like that while Iwas at Ste. Michelle, and I probably should

Richard Duval

Hand sorting helps make sure only the best grapes are used at Long Shadows.

Richard Duval

Long Shadows winemakers JohnDuval (left) and Gilles Nicault in-spect the 2017 harvest at SagemoorVineyards with Sagemoor generalmanager Kent Waliser (right).

winer y of the year FEATURE

The Winery of the Year is selectedbased on longevity, quality, reputa-tion, industry involvement, facilities

and other considerations. A winery may winthe award once.2017: Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards, Rose-burg, Ore.2016: Walla Walla Vintners, Walla Walla,Wash.2015: Maryhill Winery, Goldendale, Wash.2014: Stoller Family Estate, Dayton, Ore.2013: Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville,Wash.2012: Thurston Wolfe, Prosser, Wash.2011: Zerba Cellars, Milton-Freewater, Ore.2010: Vin du Lac, Chelan, Wash.2009: Wild Goose Vineyards, OkanaganFalls, B.C.2008: Dunham Cellars, Walla Walla, Wash.2007: Elk Cove Vineyards, Gaston, Ore.2006: Barnard Griffin, Richland, Wash.2005: Ken Wright Cellars, Carlton, Ore.2004: L’Ecole No. 41, Lowden, Wash.2003: Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, Summer-land, B.C.2002: Columbia Crest, Paterson, Wash.

HOW THE PACIFIC

NORTHWEST

WINERY OF THE

YEAR IS CHOSEN

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FEATURE winer y of the year

have done it sooner for Long Shadows be-cause I bought so many cases of Ott for mywife,” Shoup chuckled. “Anyone who hasgone to Provence has come back and won-dered, ‘Why aren’t we drinking somethinglike this back home?’ It’s perfect for a sunnyafternoon on the patio with a ham sandwichor eating cheese.”

A voracious reader, Shoup, 74, spends aminimum of four hours a day with three dailynewspapers and magazines such as The Econ-omist.

“I’ve always got six or seven books going,too,” he said.

An inductee into Legends of WashingtonWine Hall of Fame in 2014, Shoup has begunto slow down, devote more time to familyand reach out more often to close friendssuch as artist Dale Chihuly and longtimeLSV partner Agustin Huneeus Sr., whomShoup likens to “a brother.”

“My wife and I are traveling a lot morethan we’ve ever been able to,” Shoup said,enjoying times in Montenegro and Londonwhile looking forward to Sun Valley, theCaribbean and Lake Como in Italy for a

friend’s wedding.Seemingly the only topic that strains his

bond with Nicault is the Frenchman’s passionfor motorcycles. Shoup would rather Nicault,who became a U.S. citizen in 2012, shift moreto hiking and spending time with his twoteen-aged children and Marie-Eve Gilla,founding winemaker for Forgeron Cellars inWalla Walla.

“One is a dirt bike; it’s a Yamaha 450 WR.The other one is a KTM 1290cc Super Ad-venture,” Nicault said. “I followed Allen’sadvice in 2017 and got rid of my Triumph1050 Speed Triple in 2017. It was too muchof a beast.”

Shoup admits, “I’m very upset with that.He thinks he’s on the Autobahn, and itwould personally destroy me if he ever gotinjured, but we hug every time we see eachother. I literally love him. He’s become a partof my family.”

ERIC DEGERMAN is co-founder and CEO of GreatNorthwest Wine. Learn more about wine atwww.greatnorthwestwine.com.

Richard Duval

Gilles Nicault in the barrel room.