Principal Synonyms: Lambrusquet, Petit Verdau, Petit Verdot Noir, Verdau, Verdot
Origins: Bordeaux, France
Main Growing Area: US, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Chile
Typical Aroma Characters: Cassis, blueberry, mulberry, prune, cedar, clove and smoky.
Origins and Parentage
Petit Verdot comes from the Gironde in south-west France. According to the DNA parentage analysis, Tressot is a cross variety of Petit Verdot and Duras.
Viticultural Characteristics
Petit Verdot is an early budding but late ripening variety which is fairly productive. Well suited to grave soils and sensitive to drought. Good resistance to botrytis bunch rot since its berries are small and with thick skins. Cool weather conditions can lead to some unripe small, seedless green berries.
Main Growing Areas and Characteristics
France
When fully ripe, Petit Verdot produces wines that are deep-colored, powerful, rich, tannic and have great potential to age. It used to be an important variety on the left bank of Gironde during the 19th century. The vineyard area of Petit Verdot has declined since 1990s as it is hard to ripe in the Bordeaux. In 1998, the vineyard area was only 338 hectares.
In the southern and south-western France, Petit Verdot is increasing again, mostly because the global warming. In 2009, the recorded vineyard areas of Petit Verdot in France was 862 hectares, with the majority in the Bordeaux region.
Spain
Petit Verdot was introduced to Spain in the 1990s and the plantings reached 1,042 hectares by 2008. Since Spain has a warmer climate, Petit Verdot ripens well here and can produce varietal wines with good quality.
Australia
Petit Verdot is a popular variety in Australia, particularly in warmer regions such as Murray Darling, Riverland and Riverina. There were 1,354 hectares Petit Verdot in Australia by 2008, mostly in inland regions like McLaren Vale, Margaret River and Coonawarra.
United States
In 2008 the plantings of Petit Verdot in California had reached 1,779 hectares, mostly in Napa and Sonoma, where they are used for Meritage Blends. In Washington, the vineyard area was 53 hectares by 2006, where Petit Verdot acts as an important part in the Bordeaux blends. There are also limited plantings in other American states.
South Africa
Petit Verdot is becoming more and more popular in South Africa. Total vineyard area has grown from 20 hectares in 1998 to 634 hectares by 2008, with the majority in Stellenbosch and Paarl.
There are also Petit Verdot plantings in Israel, Portuguese, Turkey, Argentina, Chile and some Italian regions such as Maremma and Toscany.