Petit Verdot, one of six approved varieties for making red wines in
the Bordeaux region of France, is difficult to grow and rarely
achieves full maturity at harvest. It has a very deep purple color
and strong tannin structure which makes it ideal for use as a
blending wine sparingly at 1 – 3% levels but never over 10%. While
the origin of this variety is not known its characteristics suggest
much hotter climates than Bordeaux. For this reason the Sierra
Foothills may be a more suitable viticultural area for growing
Petit Verdot.
The grapes for this wine came from the hilltop Duarte Vineyard
in Georgetown. I visited this vineyard several times during the
growing season and harvested the grapes when they were fully
mature. The characteristics of these grapes did not seem to follow
the description above. The grapes were very flavorful and the skins
were not overly astringent. We followed our normal winemaking
protocols and used our Dual Compartment Submerged Cap Fermentation
Tank and aged the wine in predominantly French oak barrels. In
blending, I reversed the order of the typical Bordeaux wines and
used Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as the blending
wines.
Deep ruby in color with aromas of blackberries and violet with
well integrated oak which carries to the palate adding layers of
blueberries and leather. The sustained finish brings in more dark
fruit, spice, and cocoa, smoke with hints of licorice. While still
manageable, this huge wine will benefit from years of aging.
Varietal Content:
85.2% Petit Verdot, Sierra Foothills, California 7.4% Cabernet
Sauvignon, Estate Grown, Sierra Foothills, California 7.4% Cabernet
Franc, Sierra Foothills, California
Cases Produced: 325
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