Bordeaux Wine Guide: Other Red Varieties
In this section of my guide to the wines of Bordeaux, I look at the other varieties after the ‘big three’. These are Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère.
Petit Verdot
This variety is a minor player in most cases, in many cases contributing only 1-2% of many blends. Petit Verdot gives a deeply coloured and tannic wine which is useful for bringing substance and structure to the wine, and it can also bring a distinctive scent of black violets.
Because of its tendency to enhance colour, body and aroma on the left bank the variety is perhaps most prized in the commune of Margaux, which has a tendency to give wines that are perhaps not as substantial as those from further north. It is particularly associated with Château Palmer, which may include as much as 5 to 8% in the final blend.
It also pops up in Château Angludet, Château Kirwan, Château Marquis de Terme, Château Monbrison, Château Prieuré-Lichine and Château Siran, and to a lesser extent in Château Rauzan-Gassies and Château Margaux itself, but these are just a few examples. Nevertheless it can be found throughout Bordeaux, and a small percentage regularly pops up in the likes of Château Calon-Ségur, Château d’Armailhac, Clos du Marquis and many others.
