Racine Picpoul de Pinet 2022

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In the old Occitan language the term Picpoul translates to ‘pecking hen’ or ‘lip stinger,’ referring to the high acidity of the variety. This colourful description though is long outdated. Appellation rules were put in place many decades ago to prevent the excessive yields that lead to under-ripeness (ie. high acidity) in the variety.

Typical Picpoul descriptors are lemon and lime, floral and mineral characters and clean, zesty acidity. Here’s how Jancis Robinson MW describes it in her book Wine Grapes: “Lemon scented, nervy, and dry, occasionally on the floral side”. Decanter Magazine observes “zingy acidity, often complemented by citrus, green fruit and white blossom characters, and a distinct saline, iodine quality. More complex examples can also display mineral, wet stone, or yeasty notes, too.” To me it’s somewhere between aromatic muscadet and chablis, with a shot of new world riesling.

These days the most famous expressions of Picpoul are found in a sub-appellation of Languedoc, known as Picpoul de Pinet AOP, a rare instance of French labelling reflecting the variety in the appellation name.

Centred around the town of Pinet, Picpoul de Pinet is a white only appellation based entirely on Picpoul. At 3,000 acres it’s a large region and one of the biggest producers of white wines in Languedoc. The appellation lies on Languedoc’s eastern edge, southwest of Montpellier. It runs along the Mediterranean coast, separated from the sea by a large lagoon, the Bassin de Thau. To the east is the port of Sète, with its splendid fish market, and to the south, the old Roman town of Agde.

Racine is the work of Bruno Lafon and Francois Chamboissier, two heavyweights with fingers in many significant wine pies in the south of France. The duo have excellent relationships with local growers in Picpoul and have created this pure, classic example.

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