At a gala wine tasting and award ceremony at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, the top awards were given between a field of gold medal winners for the Best White Wine and Best Red Wine, and Monticello Cup Winner for 2018.
The Monticello Cup Winner for 2018 was Veritas Vineyards 2015 Paul Schaeffer Reserve Petit Verdot. Accepting the award for Veritas Vineyards was winemaker Emily Pelton.
In accepting the Cup, Pelton said she was “honored to receive this award from a field of such well-made wines from my colleagues, and for a wine that expresses my family’s passion for Petit Verdot.”
Tasting Notes, Veritas 2015 Petit Verdot Paul Schaeffer Reserve: Nose: blackberries and baking spices, a bit like Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, Ca. Palate: has a huge dimension, like shafts of light filling the space in the nave of a gothic cathedral; awesome but still elegant and balanced; great integration of fruit, oak and acidity. Much like Petit Verdot in the style of a Rioja Gran Reserva. Stylish and inspiring.