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 approximately 8,0 ...

growing estate located in the

Horse Heaven Hills AVA Horse Heaven Hills is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in southeastern Washington lying in portions of Klickitat, Yakima, and Benton counties, north and west of the Columbia River and south of the Yakima Valley and lies within the vast ...

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. Grapes grown in the vineyard have been used to produce some of the most critically acclaimed Washington wines with the name Champoux regularly being featured on vineyard designated wines. Paul Gregutt,

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

writer for the ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' and ''

Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast Companies is a New York based company that engages in the wine, e-commerce, information, education, events, media, and travel markets.Covel, Simona, ''The Wall Street Journal'' (October 2, 2008)Wine Enthusiast Looks to Win Over ...

'', 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 Lebano ...

grapes from Champoux vineyards were featured in the consecutive 100 point Robert Parker rated wines from Quilceda Creek Vintners for the 2002 and 2003

vintage In winemaking, vintage is the process of picking grapes to create wine. A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine ...

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 Sunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, Yakima County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 16,375 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Yakima County. His ...

, 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 (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing 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 ...

work for

Chateau Ste Michelle Chateau Ste. Michelle is a winery in Woodinville, Washington, United States, east of Seattle. It is the state's oldest winery and produces Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, and Riesling, and has winemaking partnerships with two vintners: Col Solare ...

, 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 Riesling ( , ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling ...

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 France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

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 , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

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 (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

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 ...

and

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

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 Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gi ...

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 of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

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 farmer from the Yakima Valley who had previously planted the original Columbia Crest vineyard overlooking the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

, 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 ''V ...

. 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 nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

who moved to

Toppenish, Washington Toppenish () is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 8,854 at the 2020 census. It is located within the Yakama Indian Reservation, established in 1855. Toppenish calls itself the city of Murals, as it has mor ...

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 ...

, 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 r ...

. 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 Klickitat County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,735. The county seat and largest city is Goldendale. The county is named after the Klickitat tribe and contains part of the Y ...

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 the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, Champoux was transferred to a rehab facility in

Richland, Washington Richland () is a city in Benton County, Washington, United States. It is located in southeastern Washington at the confluence of the Yakima River, Yakima and the Columbia River, Columbia Rivers. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was ...

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 A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrition, plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from Liming (soil), liming materials or other non- ...

has been used on the property in over 20 years with

cover crop In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to ground cover, cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, Pest (organism), pests, diseases ...

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 Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...

used to help sustain the

microbial A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen microbial life was suspected from antiquity, with an early attestation in ...

activity in the soil. Maintaining healthy levels of

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), 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 ...

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 (, ) 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, and many changes ...

'' 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, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

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 Pruning is the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. It is practiced in horticulture (especially fruit tree pruning), arboriculture, and silviculture. The practice entails the targeted removal of di ...

of the vine's

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

in order to get more physiologically ripe grapes but at lower potential sugar/

alcohol level Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

s. 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 In viticulture, there are several levels of regional climates that are used to describe the ''terroir'' or immutable characteristics of an area. These levels can be as broad as a macroclimate which includes entire wine regions or as small as a mic ...

characteristics. All the blocks remain in high demand among Washington winemakers with some winemakers using the unique ''

terroir (; ; from ''terre'', ) is a French language, French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, th ...

'' 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 Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are ...

Muscat Canelli Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. T ...

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

References

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External links