THEWINEMONOLOGUES.COM: Some "PV"-- Petit Verdot

Some "PV"-- Petit Verdot

I had the opportunity last week to have lunch with a former elementary school teacher of mine. When she asked if I would like some wine with our meal. . . I could not refuse! She brought out a bottle of '05 Lost Shore Petit Verdot. Being a Gary Vaynerchuk fan I immediately commented "ah. . . 'PV' ". She gave me a surprised look and asked if I had heard of the "new" varietal to her. Thus began my lesson to the teacher. . . .

The Petit Verdot (“Peh-TEE Vehr-DOUGH”) grape is one of the six approved grapes for making red wines in the Bordeaux region of France (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Carmenere are the others). It is though, along with Carmenere, the "forgotten grape" in Bordeaux. Often late-ripening, which limits its usefulness in the cool weather areas and wherever the season is typically short, Petit Verdot vines tend to produce a lot of vegetation, but inconsistent amounts of fruit. For these reasons, Petit Verdot vines were routinely replaced or abandoned by most Bordeaux producers beginning in the mid-20th Century.

Petit Verdot is occasionally, but rarely bottled anywhere as a stand-alone varietal without moderating its powerful characteristics by blending it with other grape types. PV's powerful dense fruit flavors, dark color, and heavy tannins means that it is often blended as 1% to 3% of the total wine mixtures.

These days, "PV" is attempting a comeback in warmer weather climates where the growing seasons are longer. California and Australia are two areas looking to promote more Petit Verdot in the upcoming years.

Australia's well-respected winemaker Geoff Hardy has taken on the challenge of producing a "stand-alone PV" and boy did he do a nice job!

This Petit Verdot in the glass was a classic deep dark purple. On the nose, I got blackberries and mint, yes mint! The palate was full of concentrated blackberries, violets and some leather with a hint of that mint on the back end. The tannins on this baby were very firm and although this bottle was an '05, it still has some shelf life left to it. This was an interesting lesson for both the teacher and the student. Petit Verdot is not for everyone. . . its deep concentrated flavors are not loved by all, but it is certainly worth the effort to seek out a bottle or a glass to try. As always, expand your palate! Cheers and thus endeth the lesson!