Petit Verdot - The perfect grape variety for a blend

Profiles

Dominant notes:

- Violet
- raspberry
- liquorice
- spices
- menthol

Possible notes:

- Herbs/flowers: violet, mint, eucalyptus, menthol, pepper, clove, thyme
- Red fruit: redcurrant, ripe cherry, raspberry, cranberry
- Dark fruit: blackcurrant, blackberry, berry jam
- Tropical fruit: banana
- Earth/other: liquorice, nutmeg, black pepper, black pepper
- Aged in oak: leather, pipe tobacco, truffle chocolate, mocha, roasted hazelnuts

With its lush fruit, rich structure and velvety tannins, Petit Verdot harmonises perfectly with the intense and spicy flavours of tender braised venison and wild mushrooms, for example. Just as Petit Verdot goes very well with white and red meat, especially beef. However, the red wine also scores highly with fish.

Petit Verdot, which translates as "little greenling", is a red wine variety that originated in Bordeaux and is still one of the classic Bordeaux grape varieties today. The name says it all: Petit Verdot is a very late-ripening grape that only reaches full ripeness in really hot climates. Petit Verdot originated in Bordeaux, mainly on the left bank of the Gironde. It was here that the vine was first mentioned by name in 1736. And it was from here that it first spread throughout France, as indicated by its other 16 names: Bonton Blanc, Bouton, Carmelin, Heran, Herrant, Lambrusquet, Lambrusquet Noir, Peti Verdo, Petit Verdau, Petit Verdot, Petit Verdot Nero, Petit Verdot Noir, Plant de Palus, Verdau, Verdot and Verdot Rouge. Relationships between Petit Verdot and grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot were not initially confirmed. According to the latest findings, Petit Verdot belongs to the "Carmenet" grape family, which originates from the Pyrenees. The common ancestors from the Pyrenees include the Ardonnet, Gros Verdot and the Merlot, Cabernet and Carmenère varieties.

In the 19th century, the Petit Verdot vine was widely cultivated in France, but due to its very long ripening period, winegrowers in northern Europe gradually favoured other grape varieties. Today, its main area of distribution is the New World. Petit Verdot is much more common there than in its native France.

Today, the area under Petit Verdot cultivation in Spain is about twice as large as in France. The "little greenling" has established itself above all on the plateau of the Iberian Meseta. Viticultural pioneer Carlos Falcó Marqués de Grinón, who successfully experimented with Petit Verdot on Spanish terroir in the 1990s, is responsible for this.

Petit Verdot is now cultivated on more than 1600 hectares in Spain. The "little greenling" is also planted on around 1400 hectares in South Australia and almost 2000 hectares in California. The grape variety is represented in Argentina and South Africa with around 500 hectares. Small plantings can also be found in Portugal, Chile, Israel, New Zealand, Argentina, Sicily and Switzerland. Petit Verdot is cultivated on around 8,000 hectares of vineyards worldwide.

The Petit Verdot vine, which in France used to be grown together with the other Bordeaux grape varieties in the same vineyard, has small, thick-skinned and almost black berries. Grown in the right location on gravel or pebble soils, which must not be too dry but must have good drainage and ripen in warm to hot climates, the Petit Verdot produces excellent wines with plenty of tannin, colour, acidity, fruit, spice and a particularly pronounced scent of violets. As Petit Verdot is resistant to many red diseases and grows well, it also produces good yields.

The late-ripening Petit Verdot grape variety is mainly used by winegrowers worldwide for blending. The concentrated, powerful body of Petit Verdot and its spicy flavour make it a frequent cuvée partner for rather soft red wines, to which it lends strength, structure and longevity. Very acidic and tannic Petit Verdot red wines are usually only used in small proportions in blends.

Pure Petit Verdots are an absolute rarity and usually come from hot climates. If the grape is not harvested "green", i.e. is given enough time to mature, Petit Verdot stands for varietally pure, dark, powerful and thoroughly great wines. The red wines, which are then almost black and opaque, have very good ageing potential. In keeping with their appearance, Petit Verdot red wines are often heavy and need a good winemaker to make them elegant and complex. Petit Verdot is often matured in barriques and then delights with notes of truffle chocolate, mocha, roasted hazelnuts and tobacco.