Wine Review of 2014 Les Vignerons de Tutiac ‘Lieu-Dit Verdot’ Petit Verdot, Bordeaux, France
Score: 89/100
This Petit Verdot wine comes from the area of origin of the grape variety, the Bordeaux region in France.
The grape for this wine come even in fact, from a ‘lieu-dit’, a small delimited area North of Bordeaux called ‘Verdot’, on the commune of Reignac near the Blaye appellation.
Made by the Les Vignerons de Tutiac cooperative winery, the vineyard that crops these grapes covers only a 2.5 ha surface area (6 acres) yielding about 15,000 bottles per year.
The ‘Lieu-Dit’ collection is a selection by the Tutiac winegrowers of small vineyards producing wines of special character.
After fermentation, this Petit Verdot Bordeaux wine was aged in French oak barrels.
Overall Tasting Impressions
A dry and savory red, bursting with a salivating acidity and vegetal bitterness, yet feeling somewhat balanced and generous.
Full Tasting Notes
This Bordeaux varietal Petit Verdot comes in a rather dark red color with touches of oranges hues to the rim but looking dark and nearly black to the core.
The nose is predominantly fruity and spicy, filled with notes of fresh raspberry and blackberry. More importantly, there is a wealth of lifted green pepper and red bell pepper notes, somewhat typical of the grapes.
Add some smoothening oaky vanilla, a hint of caramel and woodsmoke, and you have a fairly enjoyable smell, ashy and savory, slightly vegetal yet fruity in a typical Bordeaux wine fashion.
The palate is dry with a crispy acidity underlined by some bitter vegetal flavors, reminding that Petit Verdot can be a little ‘green’ to taste. But somehow this gives this wine that is otherwise ripe and generous wine boasting red berry and oaky flavors, a sense of distinctive personality and a varietal typicity.
Enjoy 🙂
Julien Miquel
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