What Is Petit Verdot? A Bordeaux Variety Coming Into Its Own

Petit Verdot has been quietly stepping out of the supporting role it played in Bordeaux for centuries, and I think we are only at the beginning of that shift.

For most of its history, this grape was a blending component used in single-digit percentages. Now, as climate patterns change and winemakers learn to handle the variety, it is starting to show up as the lead in serious bottles. Our Trentenaire was one of the first Petit Verdot-based wines made in Washington, and it remains a favorite among our long-time customers.

A Quick History

Petit Verdot is one of the five classic red grape varieties of Bordeaux. Because it needs more heat to ripen than Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, or Malbec, it is rarely found on the Right Bank and is concentrated on the warm, well-drained gravel soils of the Left Bank. Chateau Margaux is one of the better-known proponents, with about seven percent of its plantings in the variety. The former winemaker there, Paul Pontallier, was outspoken about what Petit Verdot brings to the blend: color, structure, and aromatic complexity.

You will not find a varietal Petit Verdot in Bordeaux, and you will not find a PV-dominant blend either. The variety has spread, though. It is now planted from South America to Australia, from Tuscany to Long Island. Up and down the West Coast of the United States, it is on the upswing as warmer growing seasons let more sites push the grape to full ripeness.

The Challenges in the Vineyard

Petit Verdot has real downsides. Beyond the late ripening, it is an uneven ripener. Growers have to make several passes through the season to drop the clusters that are running behind. Yields are not generous either: clusters are small and berries are small. One small mercy is that the variety often carries three clusters per shoot instead of the usual two, which takes a little pressure off the crop size.

The Challenges in the Winery

The relatively high acidity combined with high tannin can make a Petit Verdot wine punishing if you are not careful. That combination of sourness and astringency creates a battle in your mouth that the wine usually wins. Winemakers have to be conservative about extracting tannin during fermentation, and the two best allies after that are blending and time. Merlot and Malbec are softer partners that round out the structure. Barrel time and bottle time do the rest.

When picked at full maturity from the right site and made carefully, a Petit Verdot or Petit Verdot-based blend will develop for a decade or more.

What I Love About It

At its peak, the wine is big, dark, and complex. The signature for me is the floral aromatic lift. A well-made Petit Verdot smells like violets. Sometimes lilacs. That floral character on top of dense black fruit and firm structure is something no other Bordeaux variety quite delivers.

Why We Made Trentenaire

I had been using Petit Verdot as a blending component for several decades when, in 2005, I decided to make a Petit Verdot-based blend of my own. It was one of the first ever made in Washington. Giving the wine the time it deserved, we did not release it until 2010, which was my 30th vintage in Washington. The wine was named Trentenaire, which means "of thirty years" in French.

The current vintage continues to be many people's favorite in our lineup.

What to Look For in the Glass

When you open a bottle of Trentenaire, give it time. Pour it into a wide-bowled glass and let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes before you get serious about tasting. The first thing you should pick up is that violet aromatic. After that, look for dark plum, blackberry, and a mineral, almost graphite quality from the variety's firm tannin. The structure is what tells you this wine can age. If you have the patience, lay one down for five years and watch what happens.

The celebration continues.

Brian D. Carter, Winemaker