Perky Petit Verdot

Petit Verdot is grown in most major grape regions around the globe. It is a late-ripening, warm climate variety of grape, used predominantly in blending where it adds additional tannin, color and a unique flavor profile that can manifest itself with aromas of flowers, olives or when very ripe, blueberry characteristics.

In France it finds its way into Bordeaux blends, in Italy, the SuperTuscans, in Mendoza it assists the Malbec and in Australia it assumes several roles alongside Shiraz and Cabernet blends because it typically to adds tannin structure, color and herbaceous notes of violet and sage.

Originally planted in our estate vineyards to blend into our Bordeaux program it was obvious that it belonged in our Icon collection so in 2012 our first single-vineyard, single-varietal Petit Verdot was bottled.

Petit Verdot requires a lot of work in the vineyard, because it is a late-ripening, high-yielding strain. This causes many to avoid it, however, when you pay attention and work at it, Petit Verdot develops a very different personality. Planted in the warm, well-drained, gravel-based soils of our Atlas Peak vineyard in Napa Valley, a dry and sunny terroir where we are having major success with this tricky grape.

Allowing for longer ripening as we do makes the wine voluptuous and at the same time rounded. This is then be followed by barrel ageing for a period never less than two years, which this red wine really needs to round out its true character.

Perky ~ cheerful, peppy and self-confident

Petit Verdot ~ [peh-tee vur-doe] French for “little green one,” acknowledging the grape’s delayed ripening characteristic

Why "Perky" - In 1910 C.W. Perky performed experiments to determine reality vs perception in imagery.

The "Perky Effect" has come to mean the reduction in visual performance that results when one deliberately focuses on a mental image.

Petit Verdot is often used to add small amounts of tannin, color and flavor to a Bordeaux blend. As a taster focuses on the Cabernet Sauvignon flavors it is almost impossible to perceive the presence of Petit Verdot in the blend, however if the taster focuses on the flavors of Petit Verdot it will appear, because it really is a lively, enthusiastic, perky wine.