View source for Petit Verdot

{{Short description|Variety of grape}}
{{Infobox grape variety
| name          = Petit Verdot
| color         = Rouge
| image         = 01 Petit verdot.jpg
| caption       = Petit Verdot 
| species       = ''[[Vitis vinifera]]''
| also_called   = Verdot ([[#Synonyms|more]])
| origin        = South West [[France]]
| hazards       = <!-- Viticultural hazards     -->
| regions       = Bordeaux, Australia, Argentina, California, Virginia
}}

'''Petit Verdot''' is a variety of red [[wine grape]], principally used in classic [[Bordeaux wine|Bordeaux]] blends.{{Sfn|Robinson|2006}} It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, colour and flavour, in small amounts, to the blend. Petit verdot has attracted attention among winemakers in the [[New World wine|New World]], where it ripens more reliably and has been made into single [[varietal]] wine. It is also useful in 'stiffening' the mid palate of [[Cabernet Sauvignon]] blends.

When young its aromas have been likened to [[banana]] and pencil shavings. Strong tones of [[viola (plant)|violet]] and leather develop as it matures.

==History==
[[Image:Petit Verdot.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A glass of Petit Verdot]]

Petit Verdot probably predates Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux, but its origins are unclear. There are records of it in the eighteenth century,<ref name="SLSA">{{cite web |last=Radden |first=Rosemary |title=Grapes and Wines of the World |location=Adelaide, S. Australia |publisher=The State Library of South Australia |url=http://www.winelit.slsa.sa.gov.au/grapeswines.htm |access-date=2007-04-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807005112/http://www.winelit.slsa.sa.gov.au/grapeswines.htm |archive-date=2007-08-07}}</ref> but its characteristics suggest an origin in much hotter climes than the [[Gironde]]. It is likely that it originates from the [[Pyrénées-Atlantiques]] where it was possibly domesticated from wild grapevines.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Robinson |first=Jancis |title=Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, including their Origins and Flavours |year=2012 |isbn=9781846144462}}</ref>

It is one parent of [[Tressot]], the other parent being [[Duras (grape)|Duras]], a grape from the upper [[Tarn (river)|Tarn valley]] near Toulouse.<ref>[http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=12640 Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Tressot Noir] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308191109/http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=12640 |date=2012-03-08 }}, accessed on December 15, 2009</ref> It's possible that both were brought to the region by the Romans as they moved inland from the Mediterranean.

==Distribution and wines==
[[File:Petit Verdot leaf.JPG|left|thumb|Petit Verdot leaf]]

===Argentina===
There are some blocks of Petit Verdot in [[Argentina]], although for many years it was labelled as [[Fer]].

===Australia===
Verdot was included in James Busby's collection of 1832, and it was trialled by Sir William Macarthur in the 1840s.<ref name="SLSA" /> In 2000 there were 1600 hectares in Australia with [[Kingston Estate]] in South Australia having the largest planting, four times more than in [[France]].{{Sfn|Robinson|2006|p=515}} It is increasingly being used to make massive, brooding, single varietal wines that will age for several years – Pirramimma has championed this approach and Warrumbungle Wines releases only aged / cellar vintages to highlight the aging potential.

===Chile===
[[Chile]] had 137 ha in 2003.{{Sfn|Robinson|2006|p=515}}

===France===
Almost all the Petit Verdot in France is planted in Bordeaux, mostly in the [[Médoc]] where it is used in small amounts to give structure to the classic Bordeaux blend. However the late ripening means that in some years the entire crop is lost and it only properly ripens once every four years, so it has fallen out of favour, particularly with the trend towards earlier-maturing wine.

===Italy===
In [[Italy]], it is sometimes cultivated in [[Maremma]] ([[Tuscany]]) and [[Lazio]]. Some Marche IGP is also made 100% with Petit Verdot.

===Lebanon===
In [[Lebanon]], it is sometime found in Bekaa Valley, and be added to cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

===Peru===
[[File:Don Manuel Tacama Petit Verdot.jpg|right|thumb|Don Manuel by Tacama 100% Petit Verdot]]

In [[Peru]], Petit Verdot vines are grown in the southern [[Ica Region]]. The desert weather from Ica allows producers to make 100% varietal Petit Verdot wines. Tacama winery produces one of its high end wines, "Don Manuel", with 100% Petit Verdot grapes.<ref name="Don Manuel Petit Verdot">{{cite web|title=Don Manuel Petit Verdot|url=http://www.tacama.com/productos-vinos-linea-alta-gama.php?id=2|website=Tacama|access-date=February 21, 2017|archive-date=May 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511231803/http://www.tacama.com/productos-vinos-linea-alta-gama.php?id=2|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Portugal===
In [[Portugal]] it is sometime cultivated in [[Alentejo]] with great results due to this region's specific climatic conditions.

===United States===
The profusion of [[Meritage]] Bordeaux blends has seen considerable interest in the variety in California, where there was 360 ha in 2003.{{Sfn|Robinson|2006|p=515}} The more consistent, warmer climate is a big help in reliably ripening the grape, and producers are starting to experiment with single varietals. It is also planted in [[Arizona]], [[Colorado]], [[Oregon]], [[Texas]], [[Michigan]], [[Virginia wine|Virginia]], [[Ohio]], [[Maryland]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Old Westminster Winery - 2016 Petit Verdot|url=http://oldwestminster.orderport.net/product-details/0420/2016-Petit-Verdot|access-date=2020-07-26|website=oldwestminster.orderport.net}}</ref> [[Missouri]], [[North Carolina]], New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York,<ref name="2012 Petit Verdot">{{cite web|last1=Shinn|first1=Barbara|title=2012 Petit Verdot|url=http://shinnestatevineyards.com/our-wines|website=Shinn Estate Vineyards|url-status=live|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170203200237/http://shinnestatevineyards.com/our-wines|archive-date=February 3, 2017}}</ref> New Mexico, and [[Washington (state)|Washington]].{{Sfn|Robinson|2006|p=515}}

In addition to the countries above, Petit Verdot is used as 'seasoning' in Bordeaux-style blends in [[British Columbia]], [[New Zealand]], [[South Africa]]{{Sfn|Robinson|2006|p=515}} and [[Spain]].

==Vine and viticulture==
The leaves have three to five lobes with a distinctively elongated central lobe. The small, cylindrical bunches are winged, with small black berries.<ref name="SLSA" />

The name Petit Verdot ('small green') refers to one of the main problems with the grape, that often the berries fail to develop properly without the right weather during flowering. It also refers to the late ripening which usually comes too late for the Bordeaux climate. Petit Verdot also has a peculiar characteristic in that it produces more than two clusters per shoot.

==Synonyms==
Bouton, Carmelin, Heran, Lambrusquet Noir, Petit Verdau, Petit Verdot Noir, Verdot and Verdot Rouge.<ref name="VIVC">{{Cite web |last=Maul |first=E. |author2=Eibach, R. |date=June 1990 |title=Vitis International Variety Catalogue |url=http://www.genres.de/idb/vitis/ |location=Bonn, Germany |publisher=Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity (IBV) of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) |access-date=2007-04-30 |archive-date=2012-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414150553/http://www.genres.de/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bordeaux wine]]

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited sources ===
* {{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Jancis |author-link=Jancis Robinson |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc |year=2006|title=The Oxford Companion to Wine |edition=Third |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-860990-6}}

==Further reading==
* Robinson, Jancis (1986). ''Vines, Grapes & Wines''. Mitchell Beazley. {{ISBN|1-85732-999-6}}.

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927175144/http://www.wynboer.co.za/recentarticles/1003cultivar.php3 Great overview] from a South African producers magazine
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090418004711/http://www.decanter.com/news/140404.html Petit Verdot on the rise in Bordeaux] from decanter.com

{{Wines}}

[[Category:Red wine grape varieties]]