Opaque Petit Verdot 2012 750ml

Opaque Petit Verdot 2012 750ml

The word opaque means “impenetrable to light” and refers to the dark, inky, impenetrable color of our family’s Petit Verdot. Originally from Bordeaux, Petit Verdot is normally used for blending with other grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. We were so impressed by this wine from our estate vineyard in Paso Robles that we bottled it without any blending. After aging in French and American barrels for 24 months, our wine reveals ripe flavors of black plum and currant with accents of vanilla and dark Chocolate. Enjoy the darkness!

Petit Verdot is a red wine grape whose small, thick-skinned berries are valued for their depth of color. Traditionally, the variety played a small role in the classic blends of Bordeaux. However, varietal Petit Verdot has now appeared in many regions of southern Europe, the Americas and Australia.

Petit Verdot has a less well known but larger-berried cousin, Gros Verdot. Verdot roughly translates as “green one” and reflects the variety’s propensity to under ripeness. Therefore, in cool seasons Petit Verdot vines produce bunches speckled with green, unripened berries.