Seattle is known for great seafood and abundant rain, and Madeleine Angevine goes wonderfully with the former and ripens early enough to pick before the latter. Producing dry, crisp wines, the grape is popular in Germany and the UK and grows well in its place of origin, France’s Loire Valley. But it absolutely flourishes in the cool, temperate climate of Washington State’s Puget Sound AVA, pairing perfectly with briny local oysters.
People are often fooled by the reputation for rain in the Northwest, comments Betsey Wittick, who grows grapes and makes wine at Bainbridge Vineyards, an hour’s trip (including a 35-minute ferry ride) from downtown Seattle. Yet the summer climate is dry and Mediterranean, ideal for Madeleine Angevine. By the time the chance of rain really picks up in October, Wittick’s long done with picking.
But the grape is not without its own set of challenges: “It has the most beautiful tendrils,” explains Wittick. And the most tenacious: “If you don’t get to Madeleine Angevine on time, the tendrils hold these clumps together and you have to do an upward karate chop through the tendrils to separate them.”
Madeleine Angevine was long thought to be a cross between Madeleine Royale and Précoce de Malingre, but the advent of DNA testing refuted that theory and showed it likely came from a mid-19th-century crossing of Madeleine Royale and Blanc d’Ambre. From a winemaking perspective, Wittick considers it to fill a similar niche as Pinot Blanc, occasionally reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc.
“The wine makes itself,” says Wittick. The grape is reliable, produces less sugar thus lower alcohol, and is easy to work with. “Some years have a little more tropical fruit flavors, other years a little bit more apple, but always with nice minerality in the background.” Along with the single varietal, Wittick uses Madeleine Angevine in Bainbridge Vineyards’ Farmstead White, blended with Pinot Gris. The barrel aging diminishes the tropical fruitiness of Madeleine Angevine but adds heft. “It gives blends more of a roundedness; I get more of a creaminess,” Wittick says.
She rolls her eyes at the popularity of the Ferryboat White, a sweeter blend of Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe and Müller Thurgau. “People like it because there’s a ferry boat on the label,” Wittick grumbles. But as much as she prefers Madeleine Angevine’s dry expression, it’s hard not to succumb to the stereotypical Northwest white wine whose flavor profile and boat-label both pair so perfectly with the local salmon, halibut and Dungeness crab.
Quick Facts
- Grape: Moderately thick-skinned, early-ripening white
- Cross Of: Madeleine Royale and Blanc d’Ambre
- Wine Styles: Sparkling, still, single varietal and blends
- Aromas/Flavors: Citrus, tropical fruits, light grassiness, minerality
- Food Pairing: Cold water seafood or a fresh, simple green salad
This article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Like what you see? Get access to the whole issue by subscribing here today.
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Published: September 24, 2024
