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 Chateau
Ste. Michelle's Shoup looks back on storied career
A legacy of probably
one of the best-stocked wine cellars in Washington is one of the perks
Allen Shoup retained when he stepped down in December as head man at Stimson
Lane.
Shoup was at the helm
of Stimson Lane, the parent company of Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia
Crest, for 16 years. He first joined Chateau Ste. Michelle in 1980. Actually,
he was in charge of five wineries in Washington, a couple in California
and partnerships with some of the great wine regions of the world.
He can look back in
his retirement on the many accomplishments, but the ones that appear to
really register are the wines he tasted and the people he met.
"In the mid-1980s,
I had the idea of Chateau Ste. Michelle importing fine French wines to
make a little money ... but more important to expand the sophistication
and knowledge as well as the service of our sales force," he said.
"Bad idea. They would
spend 20 minutes talking about some esoteric French wine that they might
sell three bottles of and forget to sell the 200 cases of Columbia Crest
(a sale that would only take two minutes to present).
"It did, however,
allow me to fill my cellar with probably 50 cases of all the great vintages
of all the first-growth Bordeaux and fine Burgundies."
Shoup is a real champion
of the Pacific Northwest wine industry and gives credit to others who
have helped show the way.
"I didn't realize
at first that we could produce world-class wines until people like Quilceda
Creek, Leonetti and Woodward Canyon showed us we could. We are grateful
to them for raising the bar and making us say, 'Hey, we can make these
kind of wines, too.' "
Asked to mention some
of his favorite Pacific Northwest wines, Shoup admitted he was biased
toward Chateau Ste. Michelle, which he nurtured from its infancy.
The list includes
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1975 and '76 cabernet sauvignon; 1996 Col Solare,
a Bordeaux blended red; 1999 Chateau Ste. Michelle Erocia riesling and
almost any vintage of Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard chardonnay.
The Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Hills sauvignon blancs should probably
be added.
Some of Shoup's favorite
wines in his cellar have more to do with the person who signed the bottles
than the wines themselves.
His favorite is Robert
Mondavi's first vintage, a 1966 cabernet signed by Mondavi himself, who
became a lifelong friend to Shoup.
Shoup has a wooden
box of Gallo wines signed by Ernest and Julio and given to him by Mike
and Gary Hogue, who also signed the box.
Other favorite signature
bottles are from Andre Tchelistcheff, considered by many to be the driving
force in America's ability to produce world-class reds.
Being head of the
Pacific Northwest's largest winery operation has taken Shoup many places,
including the White House, but not Buckingham Palace.
Asked to list some
of the favorite people he has met during his career, Shoup replied, "If
we don't count the industry people like Bob Mondavi, Ernest Gallo, Jess
Jackson and Piero Antinori, etc., then the greatest who I got to meet
are those I now have great personal friendships with.
"They include Joe
Prueher, a four-star admiral, who is currently the U.S. Ambassador to
China. Don Petersen, CEO of Ford Motor Co. for most of the '80s and became
my personal friend and adviser, and (former Washington) Gov. Dixie Lee
Ray, who came to lunch many times and always turned it into an intellectual
seminar.
"I need to include
my artist friends like Dale Chihuly, Bill Morris, Ginny Ruffner, many
more ... they feed my soul. But I still haven't met my hero, Tom Robbins
(a former Seattle newspaper man and novelist who represented the thoughts
of the beat generation in the late 1960s)."
Actually, Shoup won't
be away from the wine industry he helped create, serving on the Center
for Wine Food and Arts Commission created in part by Mondavi to serve
as an international forum for the appreciation of all three endeavors.
Shoup is acting as chairman of the Wine Forum portion of the commission
that is based in California's Napa Valley.
Shoup plans to keep
close ties with Washington and Pacific Northwest wines and fully expects
to get involved in the future with his own winery operations in Washington
and perhaps somewhere else.
Asked to list the
greatest accomplishment he saw during his years with Stimson, Shoup said:
"The ability to grow world-class grapes and make world-class wines. No
one knew we could reach the highest levels of quality and consistency
when we first got started.
"Our industry solidarity,
particularly between growers and wineries. This situation exists no where
else in the world and is an invaluable asset ... everyone shares a vision
and pulls together.
"Finally, my swan
song. Seeing five wines: Columbia Crest 1996 estate cabernet sauvignon,
1998 estate chardonnay, 1997 estate merlot, Chateau Ste. Michelle 1999
Erocia riesling and 1996 Cold Creek cabernet sauvignon all on the Wine
Spectator's list last year of the top 100 wines in the world.
"I don't think that
will ever happen again," he said.
***
Winemaker Greg Powers
at Badger Mountain/Powers Winery in Richland has some impressive new releases
ranging from a big red table wine named Parallel 46 to nice, sweet muscat
canelli:
1997 Parallel 46,
red table wine, Columbia Valley - Made of 50 percent merlot, 40 percent
cabernet sauvignon and 10 percent cabernet franc offering great up-front
fruit, chocolate, blackberries and vanilla with a smooth finish. $30.
2000 muscat canelli,
Columbia Valley - Great for a brunch. Delicate passion fruit aromas
with sweet pineapple flavors. Residual sugar is 4.5 percent. It comes
in an attractive blue bottle. $8.
1999 syrah, Columbia
Valley - Powers' first syrah has a welcoming fruit aroma, smoky oak,
blackberry jam and a smooth finish. $17.
1997 cabernet sauvignon,
Mercer Ranch Vineyards - Ready for June release. This is a big cabernet
at a reasonable price. Big, chewy oak with dark fruit flavors, a touch
of cedar and nice tannins on the finish. $20.
1998 pinot noir,
Columbia Valley - It's hard to find a pinot this good at this price.
Bright cherries, oak, leather, jam and a rich finish with hints of black
pepper. $10.
1999 chardonnay,
Columbia Valley - Butterscotch flavors with vanilla oak aromas and
a great mouth feel. $10.
1998 cabernet merlot,
Columbia Valley - Inviting cabernet aroma with bittersweet chocolate
and blackberry flavors. Smooth and very drinkable. $10.
1998 cabernet sauvignon,
Washington - Medium oak and fruit that is long on flavor ending with
smooth tannins. $10.
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