Big Red Petit Verdot for Serious Sipping
Searching for a sipping wine with cheese and fruits and a movie, son Alec was looking through our Cellartracker cellar selections. "Petit Verdot?", he asked. I explained that Petit Verdot is one of the Bordeaux varietals but subordinate to the primary Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and lesser than Cabernet Franc which is used in the blend to add a bit of depth and spiciness. Petit Verdot, I explained is blended in, usually in small amounts, to add color and tannin structure, depth and concentration and flavor. It is characterized as adding intense black and blue fruit flavors and tones of pencil shavings, violet and leather. And some producers will bottle 100% Petit Verdot as a wine with special character. Sounds perfect for such an occasion, so we pulled a bottle of Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Petit Verdot.
Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Petit Verdot 2014
We discovered, tasted and acquired this wine during our Whitehall Lane winery visit and tasting at the Estate on Hwy 29, St Helena Highway just south of St Helena, Napa Valley. Whitehall Lane is the small road that abuts the property. They have 140 acres of vineyards of which just 2.4 acres are planted in this Petit Verdot varietal grapes which is used primarily for blending in the Bordeaux blends and for this special bottling.
Winemaker Jason Moulton says of this wine, "This Petit Verdot is like experiencing the dark side…with concentrated, full-bodied flavors. It is extraordinarily balanced with aromas of black currants, clove, blackberry pie, Agen prunes, cedar, and a hint of earth and dust. Its palate exudes flavors of black cherry cola, crème de cassis, tar, fresh black plums and toasted almond croissant. Its powerful chalky tannin mouthfeel truly lets you know THIS is Petit Verdot."
Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, structured concentrated rich tongue coating black fruits, hints of clove spice and earth, with tongue puckering chalky tannins that form distinct 'legs' on the glass. This wine begs for hearty cheese, grilled steak or darkest mocha chocolate.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2545349
To accompany this wine, we pulled out award winning ten year aged sharp cheddar cheese from Fair Oaks Farm in Northern Indiana.
https://fofarms.com/
https://whitehalllane.com/
Searching for a sipping wine with cheese and fruits and a movie, son Alec was looking through our Cellartracker cellar selections. "Petit Verdot?", he asked. I explained that Petit Verdot is one of the Bordeaux varietals but subordinate to the primary Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and lesser than Cabernet Franc which is used in the blend to add a bit of depth and spiciness. Petit Verdot, I explained is blended in, usually in small amounts, to add color and tannin structure, depth and concentration and flavor. It is characterized as adding intense black and blue fruit flavors and tones of pencil shavings, violet and leather. And some producers will bottle 100% Petit Verdot as a wine with special character. Sounds perfect for such an occasion, so we pulled a bottle of Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Petit Verdot.
Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Petit Verdot 2014
Winemaker Jason Moulton says of this wine, "This Petit Verdot is like experiencing the dark side…with concentrated, full-bodied flavors. It is extraordinarily balanced with aromas of black currants, clove, blackberry pie, Agen prunes, cedar, and a hint of earth and dust. Its palate exudes flavors of black cherry cola, crème de cassis, tar, fresh black plums and toasted almond croissant. Its powerful chalky tannin mouthfeel truly lets you know THIS is Petit Verdot."
Dark inky blackish purple, full bodied, structured concentrated rich tongue coating black fruits, hints of clove spice and earth, with tongue puckering chalky tannins that form distinct 'legs' on the glass. This wine begs for hearty cheese, grilled steak or darkest mocha chocolate.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2545349
To accompany this wine, we pulled out award winning ten year aged sharp cheddar cheese from Fair Oaks Farm in Northern Indiana.
https://fofarms.com/
https://whitehalllane.com/
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