Spectacular Petit Verdot batch

[Bartman]

I haven't been posting as much the last several months as my winemaking has slowed down somewhat in the last year or two - I have over a hundred bottles in storage and my wife has cut back on on wine-drinking to cut calories. I'm still making wine, just not as frequently - which also means my wines are bulk aging longer before bottling.
In October 2013, I had orders from various family members for some different blend and varietals from fresh grapes ordered thru Fine Vine Wines here in Dallas. One of those was for Petit Verdot, even though I knew little about it and had no experience with what it should taste like it. Apparently, a commercial single-varietal Petit Verdot is fairly rare and somewhat expensive -since then I have only seen 3 100% Petit Verdot's in wine shops. It is traditionally a blending wine in French wines, especially Bordeauxs, and usually a small percentage as it has a strong flavor.
I used RC-212 Bourgovin yeast on 3 lugs of very nice looking grapes around Halloween 2013, racked it a couple times, left an American Oak spiral in the 6-gallon carboy for about 6 months, and left it to bulk age until mid-January 2015 (I planned on bottling before last fall's harvest/crushing/pressing but didn't need it, so I let it sit).
Opened the first bottle about a week ago with a big steak, and we were overwhelmed by how delicious it was! A heavy wine, like a cabernet sauvignon, but with a more subtle flavor. Not too fruity, but with a smooth long finish.
It was one of the more expensive varietals available as I recall (like $70/lug compared to $56 for Shiraz), but it made a great wine! The more wine I make, the more value I see in bulk-aging fresh grapes - and more so in fresh grape wines vs. kits.
Anybody else have an opinion about Petit Verdots or similar experiences? I can't say I know what a Petit Verdot should taste like, but we sure like this one! Wish we had more than a handful of these bottles left.

 

[ibglowin]

When I got fresh grapes from FVW in 2011 I got 3 lugs of PV as well. That was a bad year and I had some problems with that one as well as the Cab Franc. In the end it turned out OK and I was able to get rid of my issues and I used it as a blender in a bunch of Bordeaux blends. In fact I gave you one of them when we had our meet and greet last Summer. I have a Magnum of PV leftover from that year and its sitting in the cellar gathering some dust on the bottle as they say. Perhaps its time to visit it.

Fresh grapes is more work but produces what I am looking for in a bottle of wine. Kits were never able to do that for me.

 

[Boatboy24]

Bart,

Sounds like you have a real winner on your hands. I don't have PV available, but was looking for it last year during Chilean harvest. Been meaning to try a single variteal, but haven't looked in stores too much for it. Maybe I should have pre-ordered the Kenridge LR PV.

 

[ibglowin]

One of my favorite (of which there are many) WA State wineries Saviah Cellars makes some pure PV as well as Cab Franc.

 

[sour_grapes]

Sounds fantastic, Bartman. Were the grapes from Cali? Do you know where, by any chance? (Just idle curiosity, really.)

I have long been intrigued by the concept of a single-varietal PV. I have a WE Selection International Australian PV finishing up secondary now. If I understand things correctly, Aussie PV is not quite as intense as French PV (which, of course, is never made into a single varietal wine). I have no idea if a kit Aussie PV is representative of Aussie PVs in general. I will have to try to get my hands on a commercial one sometime.

 

[ibglowin]

FVW gets their grapes from F. Colavita & Son (Lodi, CA)

Sounds fantastic, Bartman. Were the grapes from Cali? Do you know where, by any chance? (Just idle curiosity, really.)

 

[desertrat]

Had to chime in here. I started wine making in 2013 and one of my first batches was a Petit Verdot fermented with RC212. About a year later it became my favorite wine. Grapes were from the Madera area which is just south of Lodi. Bought more lugs last year and so far it is coming along nicely.

 

[sdelli]

I order grapes with a group of people every fall from the Chalk Hill area.... Every year I include about 100lbs. Of Petite Verdot with my order. I make a lot of Cab from that area and I use about 5% Petite Verdot in my Cab at blending time. Have not bottled 2013 yet but getting close. I ferment with BM 4X4 yeast and barrel it for a year. Great wine!

 

[olusteebus]

Last month Wine Maker magazine had a great article on petit verdo wine. Made me want to make some somedayh.

 

[zalai]

If anyone would like to make a Petit Verdot kit here is an other option by Vineco :

New Passport Series Limited Releases!

Petit Verdot – Released for December 2014

Washington – Yakima Valley

Alc./vol: 13.5% | Body: Full | Sweetness: Dry

THE WINE

Traditionally used in Bordeaux blends to give colour and aromatics, Petit Verdot produces a bold, well structured wine on its own. Expect intense colour and aromas of vanilla, cedar and smoke, followed by ripe cherry and blackberry flavours. This full bodied wine has warm undertones of mocha, firm tannins, and a rich and robust finish.

THE REGION

Located in the southern center of the state, just across from the Cascade Mountains, Yakima Valley is home to some of Washington’s oldest vineyards. With a balance of warm days, cool nights, and controlled water, the Yakima Valley produces fully mature fruit. The valley receives less than 150 mm of rain per year so the vines rely on irrigation which growers can control, resulting in fruit with great concentration and flavour.

 

[Norton]

PV is my new favorite. I got a bottle at a new nearby winery and was blown away. I got an Australian kit and it was ok, but not near what I was hoping for.,so I will be looking out for other PV options.

 

[Bartman]

FVW gets their grapes from F. Colavita & Son (Lodi, CA)

Sounds fantastic, Bartman. Were the grapes from Cali? Do you know where, by any chance? (Just idle curiosity, really.)

As Mike said, all of FVW's fresh grape shipments have come through F. Colavita & Son. I have never been disappointed with their product, although I have gotten some lower quality grapes from other sources.

Every year, George at FVW threatens to quit organizing the shipment of fresh grapes - but this year I think he may be serious as the volume of orders has declined enough that the freight costs make it too expensive on a per-lug basis. It's hard to convince kit winemakers to switch to the higher-cost, more challenging fresh grape wine making, if they are satisfied with the kits. But I make very few kits anymore - just specialty wines/ports/dessert wines.

 

[sdelli]

I used to make some kits when I started.... I only make wine from grapes now... I am sure there are conversations on how kit wine is as good of quality as grapes.... I can taste the difference every time. You can continue to make wine from grapes or frozen must on your own without your friends.... Just may cost a little more. Shopping for grapes and must is one of the times in life I do not use price as the factor as much as quality. But that is what is so great about this hobby. It has a place for everyone of interest!!!

 

[desertrat]

It doesn't have to be expensive to use fresh grapes. I get my grapes through a local produce company that organizes a yearly event typically the second Sunday in September. They offer 20 types of grapes at $33 to $40 a lug and 23 types of 5.3 gallon fresh juice pails at $42 to $51 each. Petit Verdot goes for $36 a lug. Produce companies already have the distribution and required storage facilities in place so that may be the best way to go. I assume they add the grapes to their standard produce deliveries.

 

[heatherd]

Harford Vineyard here in Maryland sells Chilean Petit Verdot for $29.50 per lug.

I haven't made PV from grapes yet, but am making a kit now; it's last year's limited production monastrell petit verdot. So I went to the wine store to buy a couple of bottles of commercial PV for topping and taste testing. The wine store staff are well versed in their trade. However they had not heard of it and we combed the store and only came up with blends, nothing more than 15% PV. I have tried a couple places with no luck. My wine is bulk aging, I will have to steal a taste to finally have single varietal petit verdot.

I was also looking for Nero d'avola on that shopping trip - luckily they had one bottle left.

Heather

 

[Boatboy24]

I took my Monastrell Petit Verdot out of the barrel a couple weeks ago. It's excellent. Couldn't find any PV when I needed to top it up, but was able to find Monastrell.

Didn't realized Harford had PV this year. Because of my upcoming move, I'm skipping the Chilean harvest this time around.

 

[heatherd]

I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I misunderstood the kit and thought monastrell was the style and PV the varietal. Ha!

 

[heatherd]

How far are you moving Jim?

 

[Boatboy24]

How far are you moving Jim?

Not too far - about 20 minutes. From Prince William County into Western Fairfax. Chantilly, to be specific.

 

[heatherd]

You'll have to scout out some new spots to get grapes around there!