Petit Verdot 2021, Leaning Post Wines

Description from the Producer

The 2021 vintage started warm and sunny, and stayed warm through the summer and fall, however some fairly heavy rains made the harvest period tricky. The season was quite long, so with good viticulture and terroir grapes had plenty of time to fully ripen. The grapes were hand-picked and hand-sorted on November 1st, destemmed and left to cold soak on skins prior to fermentation. The fermentation started spontaneously in small fermenters with the skins being punched-down by hand 2 times per day. Once fermentation was finished, the wine remained on skins for 6 days before being gently pressed. It was then transferred to French and American oak barrels (20% new) and aged for 21 months. The 2021 Petit Verdot was bottled in September 2023.

This is our first (and possibly only!?) vintage of Petit Verdot, with the majority of the fruit coming from Grimsby Hillside Vineyard.

Nose: What an amazing cacophony of fruit and floral on the nose! Mulberry, plum and blackberry hit your senses immediately, followed quickly by lilac, lavender, violet and sage.

Palate: Intense plum, strawberry, mocha, and prosciutto flavours dominate with licorice, sweet basil, and green olives appearing in the background.

Finish: The palate brings in blueberry and raspberry, with anise seed, sweet basil, cured meat, cocoa, cumin a mossy/brambly character the underpins the whole wine. It is medium bodied, with present acidity and tannins that are full but soft.

Pairing: This wine is perfectly balanced for warmer days and lighter fair in the summer, and yet full enough to match richer foods and cooler evenings. To drink now, either decant or enjoy slowly and allow the wine to unfold for you.