Bordeaux wineries using Petit Verdot
Image from Wikipedia
A reader asks:
What classified Bordeaux wineries use Petit Verdot and to what percentage of their blend?
Darby replies:
Petit Verdot is one of a half dozen varieties permitted in Bordeaux wines, but it plays a very minor role there. In blends it adds some aromaticity, sometimes with powerful violet notes.
It ripens later than the other Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec and Merlot. The late ripening of the variety means that it frequently doesn't ripen in cooler years, hence its declining popularity in Bordeaux.
In warmer climates late ripening is an asset so it is used for example in warmer regions of Australia, in particular the irrigated inland regions where it makes interesting varietal wines.
In the region of Medoc in the left bank of Bordeaux some wineries which use the variety include Chateau Palmer, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Pichon Laland.
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