Picpoul de Pinet

This is Picpoul de Pinet, a cru in the Languedoc appellation for varietal wines made from Piquepoul Blanc in Pinet and nearby communes. Piquepoul Blanc is a white grape from the Rhone and LAnguedoc regions and is one of the grapes included in the famous thirteen of the permitted grape in Chateauneuf du Papes (actually that is the same as for Cotes du Rhone). The grape also exist in noir and gris version and these are also included amongst the Chateauneuf grapes (noir in the original 13and gris separately mentioned since 2009). Unfortunately its susceptinility to oidium and other diseases together with low yields causes it to lose popularity. The Lirac I blogged about earlier had a smattering of Piquepoul Blanc in it.

I tasted the above wine in last year's Wine Fair. Pale straw with a slightly closed nose with lemony notes, it was off-dry and a bit crispy on the palate with vague hints of fruit. An acid backbone holds everything together.