Emily Pelton, winemaker at Veritas Vineyards, has earned a reputation for top Petit Verdot. Regular readers may recall that Veritas won the Monticello Cup almost 2 years ago for their 2015 Petit Verdot.
I had tasted the Veritas Vineyards Petit Verdot 2010 Paul Shaffer 4th Edition when it was first released and decided to lay it down, since 2010 was a fine vintage for Petit Verdot. Although fans of big, bold reds could have enjoyed this wine at 3-4 years of age, I wanted to see how it would evolve in the bottle, and I’m glad I gave it until its tenth year.
The color was still opaque ruby/purple. Nose: freshly crushed black briar fruits over wet flint with a whiff of tar, bracingly fresh after nine years. Palate: lively fruit/acid balance, full of ripe black fruits and smooth tannins with a fresh, clean finish. No oak flavors, a hint of mocha and clean earth in the lively finish. An elegant wine with fine varietal character. Can still hold another 2-3 years. Rating: ***1/2
Rating scale: * = good, ** = very good, *** = excellent, **** = outstanding.