Petit Verdot Ages In A Far Better Way In Temecula California Wineries
Petit Verdot grown in Temecula Wineries offers better characteristics for a Meritage wine.
Petit Verdot (pronounced peh-TEE vehr-DOUGH and means little green) is a red grape classically used in Bordeaux-style red grape and American Cabernets to support the color, tannins, and complexity. The grape is quite small, very thick skinned, with deep color. Winemakers generally use this grape as cooks would use seasoning. It is generally used in very small quantities of 5% or less in the blend due to its tendency to cause a puckery taste and have strong vinous grassy flavors & aromas reminiscent of pencil shavings. However, when allowed to become very ripe in warm weather such as Temecula, the vinous tastes are minimized so higher amounts can be used. Mature fruit offers the best of a Big Red Temecula wine with spice, leather, and floral notes while still keeping the right level of acidity.
Acreage of Petit Verdot are increasing in California because the weather allows for complete ripening of the grapes, improving flavors. The Petit Verdot varietal is also on the rise in other warmer wine areas like Australia and South America. In Frances cooler weather, land dedicated to this grape is decreasing since the variety generally ripens late which can risk the quality, and crops can be damaged to fall cold weather. Temeculas warmer weather is perfect for the Petit Verdot grape and gives the grape time to reach its optimal maturity.
Petit Verdot is one of the approved varietals (also including, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Carmenere) from the Bordeaux area in France . Outside of France, wineries making blends with Petit Verdot and the other typical Bordeaux grapes are not allowed to call their wines Bordeaux blended wine. In 1988, a group of American winemakers created the term Meritage (combining Merit and Heritage) to describe a Bordeaux-style wine produced in America. According to the Meritage Association, Meritage was coined to identify wines that represent the best examples of the winemakers art, blending, and distinguish these wines from the more generic moniker red table wine. A Meritage wine be a blend of two or more of the noble Bordeaux varietals with no single variety composed of more than 90% of the blend. Also, to guarantee that the word Meritage is only used for hand crafted wines, case production is limited to 25,000 cases per vintage.
Temecula wineries are experimenting in using higher quantities of Petit Verdot in their Meritage wines. Wiens Family Cellars is a Temecula winery utilizing Temeculas superior grape growing conditions to grow Petit Verdot grapes. The winery will release their 2007 Temecula Valley Meritage to wine club members on August 12, 2009. The blend includes 25% Petit Verdot so the ideal characteristics are evident within the wines heavenly flavors. In addition to the excellent ripening weather in Temecula , 2007 was a very dry year which improved wine intensities in the Temecula Valley. The drought increased wine flavors more towards jammy with dark berry/plum flavors.
Wines with large percentage of Petit Verdot are best served with foods cooked with an herbal flavor. Foods with strong flavors like balsamic vinegar also pair nicely, as do robust high-flavor artisan olive oils and pepper-jack cheese. This varietals level of tannin and acidity make it a ideal wine that is not easily overcome by the food!
Wiens Family Cellars, a Temecula California winery, is committed to making world class (big red) Temecula wines with fruit sourced from the Temecula Valley. One of our most important current goals is to develop a Bordeaux blend that is on par with the best of the Napa/Sonoma regions.
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