The First Vintage of Petit Verdot, "La Petit Fantesca"

Petit Verdot can be a challenging, difficult-to-tame grape at times. Used primarily for blending, Petit Verdot exhibits balanced tannins that support the fine components of a blended wine without overpowering it. As a pure varietal wine, however, Petit Verdot can provide a rare and eclectic drinking experience. The 2004 Fantesca rendition offers a balance of acid and tannin with plenty of complexity and a deep and beautiful black and blue hue. The nose is full of overripe plum, barrel vanillin and black fruit with a background of chocolate-dipped espresso bean that is so indicative of our Spring Mountain vineyard site. The palate conveys a seamless texture full of black cherry with a juicy and bright midpalate. We feel it is a wine that belongs in every collector’s cellar.

We grow a very small amount of Petit Verdot on the Fantesca Estate. In 2004, our Petit Verdot block yielded only a single barrel of wine. When we convened for our blending trials, everyone remarked about the amazing lushness and depth of this wine. It is a striking example of the qualities that make Petit Verdot one of the four noble grapes of Bordeaux. Rather than blend it into our Cabernet where it would constitute less than 5% of the blend, we chose to showcase this wine on its own.

We’re really happy that we did. In fact our winemaker, Kirk Venge, describes this Petit Verdot very simply, saying:

"This is the finest Petit Verdot I have ever made. It is also quite possibly the finest Petit Verdot I have ever tasted."

We think you will agree. Because quantities of the 2004 Petit Verdot are extremely limited, however, this wine is only available to members of our Velvet Rope Club. Enjoy through 2020. 100% new French oak, bottled unfiltered and unfined.