It has been almost three years since Pierce Ranch shuttered its winery and tasting room to focus on selling grapes. Fortunately, some places still have a few bottles in stock.
A Taste of Monterey on Cannery Row pours one of the label’s most vigorous wines, a 2017 Petit Verdot. The wine is rich in fruit with a sharp bite, but also leathery and parched, sharing both ends of the spectrum – and some stretches in between – in one glass, which would seem to make for a daunting sip, but…
The wine is bold and boastful from the start, with aromas of rich plum, dark berries and rock-strewn earth almost beating down the varietal’s softer herbaceous notes. The floral notes prized in Bordeaux crumble into dry sage and violet dust on the palate – a good thing, in this case, as it gives an elusive depth to the wine’s earthier, meatier foundation. Whether it leans toward mineral or vegetal is submerged in a wash of fruit. Black cherries, blueberries and weathered plums have their way. The tannic structure of the wine allows these notions to linger.
It is a lively and interesting wine – perhaps a bit boastful. Of course, these are the tendencies that cause winemakers to resign Petit Verdot to blends, useful for color and structure. But sometimes you want a strident wine, one that is eager to show off its flavors. And that is the 2017 Pierce Ranch Petit Verdot.
The number of bottles available are, unfortunately, dwindling.