Gibbs Petit Verdot Yountville 2018

A fair amount of Napa Valley locals will tell you we are an agricultural town first and foremost.  Farming has always been Napa's number one occupation.  Before grapes were the crop of choice, our region was known for expansive orchards of varying stone fruits and walnuts.

For the family behind Gibbs wines, there is a generations-long heritage connected to the soils of Napa Valley.  The patriarch, Dr. Lewis Gibbs Carpenter Jr., uprooted his family from their cattle ranch in Gilroy, CA, to St. Helena in the 1950s and bought a parcel of land in Cross Creek Valley.  He was a passionate farmer who believed in the growing potential of Bordeaux varietals, which were new to the valley.  Lewis took a faithful leap in the 1960s and re-planted all but three rows of the family's orchards to vines.  However, it wasn't until 2000 that Lewis' son-in-law, Craig began making wine from those very vines.  Craig came to Napa as a graphic designer, creating labels for wineries through the valley.  By day, he designed for Elyse, Beringer, and Robert Craig (to name a few).  By night, he refined his winemaking with the fruit from Lewis' vines under two private labels called "Terroir Napa Valley" and "Sentall."  Sadly in 2013, Lewis passed, and in memory of his "agriculturist heart," Craig and his son, Spencer, created the Gibbs label to make wines that passionately express Napa Valley's terroir.

The family owns two vineyards where they produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.  Appreciation for great grape growers runs deep, though, and Craig & Spencer will jump at the opportunity to work with an exceptional vineyard.  They have "Selection" for occasions like this:  a collection of one-off wines that are often never made again after the first vintage or from the same vineyard.  The Gibbs 2018 "Selection" Petit Verdot resulted from a hearty harvest from a treasured vineyard in Yountville where the family sources Petit Verdot to blend with their Cabernets, with only enough fruit for five barrels.  Yountville's central location in the valley proves beneficial to Petit Verdot as the warm, sunny days help ripen this grape's thick skins. 

Traditionally, Petit Verdot is blended with other Bordeaux varietals to add depth, structure, and color to the wines.  The Gibbs 2018 Petit Verdot presents all those components in its proper fashion.  The namesake "petit" berries of this grape cause a higher skin to juice ratio, which results in bigger tannins and deeper hues.  Almost inky with violet purple color, the nose packs a punch with blackberry jam, currants, and freshly cracked walnuts.  Full-bodied with robust tannins, dark fruit notes, cocoa powder, and eucalyptus on the palate.  It spends 28 months aging in French oak, which imparts a hint of black licorice.   Despite the small berries, this Petit Verdot packs a big punch and we are pleased to share it with our Under the Radar club members. A fair amount of Napa Valley locals will tell you we are an agricultural town first and foremost.