Petit Verdot is quirky. Finicky, too, I think. Mainly a blending grape, one of the traditional Bordeaux varietals. You don’t see it much these days, but there are a couple of Bordeaux QPRs that have healthy dollops of it, like Chateau Bolaire at 40-50% and Belle-Vue at 20%. I like these two wines. Belle-Vue just released a 100% PV cuvee in 2016, need to try it.
For Bordeaux, it seems to add a more savory, spicy, and sometimes greenish tinge, to the blend.
I have not had a PV cuvee from California that I have enjoyed enough to buy more. I personally don’t think this grape does well in warmer climates like that, it gets too jammy blue for my palate.
And then here I try something from Humboldt. The land of Cabot. And it works. Works very well.
This Briceland PV runs the color spectrum: greens, red, blue and black. The spritely acids keep this wine racing along that continuum. Floral, perfumed nose, with some charcoal campfire and menthol notes. The palate is more than medium-body, definitely chewy, but not weighty. Savory, herbaceous, wet earth. Predominantly wild dark fruits, but with a slight sweetness of blueberry and some citrusy reds, showing lots of fruit complexity. Tangy, chewy, puckeringly-long long finish. A very distinct wine.
Started this wine with a grilled chicken salad, but damn would I love to have this wine with a burger or pizza. Or a Pittsburgh-style filet, all bloody and stuff.
I have no clue where his wine goes. I have no history with it. Has solid structure and backbone to it, and correctly ripe fruit, so I suspect it will age easily for 5+ and likely for much longer. Does it become more complex, I do not know. What I do know, is that this is one lip-smackingly good ‘Merican PV!
(93 pts.)
PS. I’ve killed a tad more than 3/4s of the bottle. Saved a wee bit for tomorrow just to see what will happen. I really would prefer to keep drinking it.
PPS. Corey sent me this wine, thanks buddy. He’s in the Dominican Republic right now, sunning himself with this stunning counter-part, while his Chicago colleagues freeze away. He brought me a Briceland Cab once as well, which I also liked.