quicksearch
Anthony Gismondi on Wine
Uppercase Petit Verdottext
90POINTS
16½/20

Uppercase Petit Verdot 2020

Golden Mile Bench, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaIf you are a climate change denier, you only need to taste this 2020 petit verdot to be convinced a warmer world is happening, given that the latest ripening grape in the world is reaching phenolic ripeness in the Okanagan Valley north of the 49th parallel. Used sparingly in Bordeaux blends and only in the most perfect of growing seasons, it is seldom bottled solo, and when it is, it can be overwhelming. Not so with a version that comes with a sense of balance. It opens with savoury, ripe, olive, floral, black plums streaked with black licorice. Robust and densely structured from a sun-drenched site in the South Okanagan, it offers an array of black plums, dried figs, licorice, and bitter dark chocolate. The package is youthful with dryish tannins that speak to this grape's robust structure. It will need time, but it will repay the patient drinker around 2028. The fruit comes off Iqbal Vineyard on the Golden Mile bench in Oliver. It is fermented in stainless steel to 13.5 percent alcohol and matured 16 months in older French oak barriques. A fine start from an excellent vintage.Tasted: 21 December 2022Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:
BC$45.99750mlwinery direct, select private wine shops
Producer: Uppercase WineryDistributors: Winery Direct
Grape: Petit VerdotUPC: 696852082518