By Duane Pemberton
Winery website: www.saviahcellars.com
Often treated as the step-child to the other bordeaux grapes, Petit Verdot has slowing been making a comeback as having the ability to be bottle all on its own merits. There are only a handful of Washington wineries who make a straight Petit Verdot and Saviah Cellars (based in Walla Walla) is one of them.
Technical Data:
- Appellation: Walla Walla Valley
- Vineyards: McClellan Estate Vineyard, Stillwater Creek Vineyard
- pH: 3.63
- TA: 0.54 g/100mL
- Alcohol: 14.1%
- Fermentation: 36-hour cold soak; Open top fermenters with cap punched down by hand three times per day. Secondary fermentation finished in barrel.
- Cooperage: Aged 21 months is small French oak barrels - 100% New French oak barrels
- Cases Produced: 291 Cases
- Bottling Date: February 24, 2011
- Releaes Date: October 1, 2012
- $35
Nose: Squid-ink laced blackberries along with bramble, mushroom, dark chocolate, pie crust, leather and black cherry cola.
Taste: Bring on the black folks – we’re talking blackberries, black licorice, blackened blueberries, ink and pencil shavings. A pretty good mid palate with good acidity and tanning but the fruit does get a little lost in the mid-to-rear palate transition. Overall, a very solid effort and a wine that I’d love to try again in a few more years.
