2013 nottingham cellars petit verdot review

Slightly lighter bodied and very different fruit/tannin balance. This is more forest floor and mushrooms on the nose, and a darker overall impression. Classy though – it turns out – quite soft for the appellation. Palate is soft and sweet but with a drying underlying structure, which frames the fruit well. This pair clearly have a Merlot imprint, and the not-quite-ready depth of the second wine is a function of its quality and the excellence of the year, not of relative youth….ĬHÂTEAU CAMBON LA PELOUSE Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois, 2005įragrant red fruit with some floral hints. Palate is firmer with much deeper flavours and a chocolate hint, quite rich with a spicy element… not quite integrated yet but very nice… This has a heavier, darker nose with crunchy darker fruit.

Easy quaffing – which probably implies maturity or simplicity…ĬHÂTEAU LAROQUE St. Palate is sweet plum fruit with a long acid line. Sweet nose, with red fruit and an earthy hint. The wines were not that far apart, the first wine slightly “muddier” and a browner rim (falsely) leads one to the think it’s older… Palate is sweeter and more supple than the previous wine with a lighter feel supplied by the fresher acidity. More restrained but typical claret nose, sharper fruit and some cedary herbs.and a lighter touch. The palate is quite grippy with damson fruit prominent, a little grainy… satisfying in a heavy sort of way.ĬHÂTEAU HAUT BAGES AVEROUS Pauillac Cru Bougeois, 2005 Nose of dark fruit and a slightly smoky wood hint, a faint floral (lily?) hint too with some pungency.

This proved more difficult that it sounded, I think for everyone – although I personally found the former question much easier than the latter, or to more exact – a proximate question of which wines were Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon dominated? Part of the reason – I’m sure – for inaccurate guesses was the distraction offered by the pleasure of the wines…ĬHÂTEAU BATAILLEY Pauillac, 5 ème Cru, 2009Ĭabernet Sauvignon (CS) 70% Merlot (M) 25% Cabernet Franc (CF) 3% Petit Verdot (PV) 2%. Serving blind in 3 pairs, Rob challenged us to guess from which Bordeaux bank they originated and which of each pair was the older. When you join our wine community as a Paid Member, you’ll get access to all of my Petit Verdot wine reviews, which are updated weekly.On Monday 7th October Rob treated the group to six classic red Bordeaux. Although it is rare to see this varietal on its own, if you should come across it, let it age for minimum 5 years and pair it with a pork belly or a juicy strip loin. Petit Verdot has leather and violet aromas, but can also give off a banana scent when young. Petit Verdot is a red grape also known as Bouton, Carmelin, Heran, Lambrusquet Noir and Petit Verdau, depending on where its grown.ĥ. Although France is the original home of the Bordeaux blend (also called a Meritage), many New World countries have adopted the mix of grapes as well including the US, Canada, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia. The only place Petit Verdot has been known to thrive is in Portugal’s Alentejo region due to the warm climatic conditions.Ĥ. It has an unusual two grape clusters per shoot, but can be extremely unreliable.ģ. Petit Verdot can be a problem vine, as it ripens late in the season, if at all. The exception is Chateau Palmer, in which it is 6% of the blend due to the vineyard’s microclimate.Ģ. It usually only makes up 1-3% of the Bordeaux blend, which also includes the grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

You’ll find my Top 10 Petit Verdot reviews and ratings here.ġ. Petit Verdot is most famously associated with the Bordeaux blend, and is added to the blend to increase the tannin, colour and flavour.

2013 nottingham cellars petit verdot review