Nose
The 2009 Petit Verdot boasts a complex and concentrated nose filled with baked black cherry,
dried cranberry and black raspberry, balanced by freshly-cracked white pepper and black cardamom aromas.
Palate
The richlytextured
palate opens with ripe red currant, strawberry reduction and sweet red plum, followed with touches of coriander,
vanilla bean and mate tea. Supported by rounded tannins, the lush finish resonates with dark chocolate and clove notes.
Growing Conditions
Most of the fruit for our 2009 Petit Verdot was sourced from our valley floor vineyards in Rutherford and Oakville, with a
small amount from our home vineyard in the Stags Leap District. Petit Verdot is a late-ripening varietal, and these warm
regions encourage the development of complex flavors. The Merlot that rounds out the blend was sourced from our
Carneros Collines vineyard where the grapes were also allowed extra hang time to cultivate deeper flavors.
With steadily mild temperatures throughout the growing season, the 2009 vintage progressed very smoothly and the
clusters ripened evenly.
Harvest
The fruit for this wine was harvested late September through late October and was thoroughly
sorted.
Winemaking
Fermentation took place at a high temperature to ensure that maximum extraction was achieved.
Aging
Racked to 30% new French barrels. The wine was aged in barrel for a total of 16 months before bottling.
Appearance
Deep ruby-black in the glass.
Food Pairing
A wine with such a weighty stature would be best served alongside a meal of equal constitution. A grilled, dry-aged rib
eye steak with root vegetables or venison medallions with morel mushrooms would both be excellent pairing options for
our 2009 Petit Verdot. Additionally, this wine would complement a mature cheese like three-year aged gouda or
manchego viejo.