2020 “Gracious” Picpoul - Babcock Winery

Yellow delicious apple, blooming honeysuckle, ripe guava. Fresh cantaloupe, ground cinnamon, juicy Bartlett pear. An impressively plump and succulent procession of lemon confit, grapefruit pith, and papaya highlights a fleshy yet feisty fruit core that is unabashedly bold while still possessing great crispness and bite. Notes of fragrant jasmine and orchard blossom emphatically emerge within waves of wildly perfumed floral tones that are further enhanced in aromatics by nutmeg, vanilla, and a plethora of clean baking spices. Impressions of sandy earth, sea spray, and saline minerality expose complex streaks of coastal earthiness before receding into an interesting combination of lightly bitter herbs and honey. Substantially ripe, round, and mouth-filling on the palate while still remaining nicely tart and lively; exhibiting a highly expressive and generous presentation that is thoroughly unique and interesting. Full bodied yet brimming with high acidity. This 2020 "Gracious" Picpoul by Babcock Winery is an exciting and amplified white from Santa Barbara County.

Perhaps most well known as one of the marquee white wine grapes in the Languedoc region of Southern France, Picpoul is a historic yet often underappreciated grape that is gradually beginning to pop up in vineyards around California's Central Coast. This bottling, crafted by Babcock Winery using Picpoul sourced from two unique vineyards in Santa Barbara County, is an interesting and impressive example of what this unique variety can achieve in California soil. Crafted in a ripe oak-aged style typical of a modern new world approach, this wine generously gushes juicy tropical, orchard, and citrus fruits enhanced by lifted floral tones, pretty oak spices, and saline earthiness. It is round and full bodied yet possesses the acidity to keep it bright and fresh on the palate, and easily proves that this grape has the potential to produce absolutely delicious wine when grown beneath warm California sunshine. Excellent.