TN: Gat Shomron Petit Verdot 2009

[Gabriel Geller]

Tasting today one of the very few wines labeled "Petit Verdot" in Israel, the wine being in fact a blend of 80% Petit Verdot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon (according to Israeli law a wine actually requires at least 85% of the main grape type in the blend to be labelled after it). The wine was 14 months in French oak barrels.

Gat Shomron, Petit Verdot 2009: Very dark garnet with some purple reflections (depending on the light! ) with ripe plums and backer's chocolate screaming on the nose, followed on the palate by ripe plums, blackcurrants, nice acidity, sweet oak and backer's chocolate rising on the finish with soft and round tannins. Very pleasant but some might not like the light sweetness on the finish.

Has anyone else here tasted it? Thoughts?

Best and shabbat shalom to all,

GG

[Josh Patt]

I had this wine on Passover (complements of the winemaker who I met over the holiday). I didn't make any tasting notes, but your note is similar to what I remember - plums and berries with gentle oak and a note of bittersweet chocolate on the finish. Relatively high acidity, but that's expected for PV.

I also noticed that it's less than the 85% required for a varietal wine, but Petit Verdot is dominant at 80%. It needs the 20% Cabernet to give it balance.

Petit Verdot is showing a lot of promise in Israel, but I think it really needs to be blended with other grapes. It's going to be hard to achieve good balance with 85+% PV.

Josh

[Gabriel Geller]

Petit Verdot is showing a lot of promise in Israel, but I think it really needs to be blended with other grapes. It's going to be hard to achieve good balance with 85+% PV.

Hi Josh (thanks, your remark reminds me that I need to call Avigdor tomorrow), not necessarily as Yatir and Ramot Naftali also made a varietal Petit Verdot (and in those cases with 85%+ of it) and both wines are also excellent, my favorite being the Ramot Naftali. Rogov z.l. but also Yossie Horwitz as well as other forumites are very fond of the Yatir.

[Yehoshua Werth]

Petite Verdot will be out From Gush Etzion in the Rosh Hashana Time.. and it is Yummy

Tasted Barrel sample.. will be waiting for the bottle aged thing to happen

[David Raccah]

Petite Verdot will be out From Gush Etzion in the Rosh Hashana Time.. and it is Yummy

Tasted Barrel sample.. will be waiting for the bottle aged thing to happen

Yehoshua - did this wine ever show up - or did it stay in Israel?