2021 Happy Canyon Vineyard Petite Verdot - 95pts

Our 2015 Petit Verdot from Happy Canyon vineyard was sourced with the goal of being a great component of our Santa Barbarian. It is 25% of that wine, but in the barrel, it really wowed us and we decided to bottle some separately. Petite Verdot is rarely bottled on its own because it can be quite tannic and austere. Ours was not that way – why it was grown in a perfect spot not too hot farmed very well and then we sorted it so everything was perfect. Gentle slow and cool in the winery I’m sure helped the cause.  Happy Canyon vineyard is in the Happy Canyon. Our fruit came from Block 10 and there is only 2.5 acres of Petite in the vineyard. This wine was gently destemmed then cold soaked for 4 days and fermented with gentle punch-downs. Aged in one all tight-grained French oak 1 neutral puncheon 500L and one new 225L barrel for 19 months.