VIA VITICOLA | Pergament | Petit Verdot | 2018
petit verdot

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Today we are going to review a wine that is unique in its own way, a wine that we were eager to try for a very long time – Pergament Petit Verdot 2018 by Via Viticola Sarica Niculitel. This is a single-varietal petit verdot wine, that has been aged for 12 months in new, french oak barriques, made of grapes sourced from the Sarica – Niculitel vineyard in the Dobrogea region – one of the warmest wine regions in Romania, whose climate is tempered by the cool breezes from the Black Sea. Petit Verdot is an old french variety that originates in the famous Bordeaux region, a variety which is rarely produced as a single-varietal wine and mostly used in blending (usually added in less than 10% of the volume) due to its deep color, tannin extract and nuanced earthy-floral profile. However, a dedicated wine enthusiast might find here and there some rare examples of a single-varietal petit verdot wine, mostly from warm sub-regions within Australia, Chile, Spain and USA, as lately winemakers have realized that in the best years (petit verdot is a late-ripening variety) it can make intensely fruity, yet floral and gravely-earthy wines with nuanced tannins and high natural acidity. But enough theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: medium-deep | pale ruby
clarity: hazy ruby shades

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & delicate
fruit profile: red fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry | red currant | cranberry | red plum | wolfberry
fruit character: ripe to underripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | herbaceous | spice | oak | savory | earthy
__floral: hints of violets
__herbaceous: wormwood | tomato leaf | sage
__spice: red pepper | anise
__oak: sun-dried oakwood
__savory: sweet potato | beetroot | iron | leather | brown olive
__earthy: brown soil dust | clay
__wood: new / medium roast

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: med(+)
tannin: medium
__grip: green
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: rough | medium+

//Taste
fruit profile: red fruits
fruit character: underripe
non fruit: herbaceous & savory
finish: medium+
aftertaste: bitter-green

//Scoring
VIA VITICOLA | Pergament | Petit Verdot | 2018
variety: petit verdot
country: Romania
region: Sarica – Niculitel
rating: 92.0

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 3 to 5 years
verdict: great | a must try
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This is definitely a great wine of Romania and, with a total of 92.0 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a wine that is both, delicate and noble at the same time, as it feels plump, savory and rustic, with a nuanced fruity-herbaceous profile and a voluptuous palate – a wine that is still developing, thus one that requires at least 3 to 5 more years of bottle ageing. Pergament is a wine that is made in a classic, old-world style, with a nuanced savory-vegetal foreground, represented by notes of wormwood and tomato leaf, followed by some slightly underripe red fruits flavours in the background, with an elegant floral-earthy layer in between, that enriches the nose with very subtle hints of violets and clay. On the palate, the wine tastes austere, green and slightly rough, with mouth-watering acidity and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel. All in all this is a very noble yet delicate wine that has a very nice structure on the palate and a crisp, bitter-seedy finale – a wine that maybe lacks just a bit of finesse on the mouthfeel. Our recommendation would be to pair this wine with naturally scented meaty dishes, like for example venison or boar, so that all those funky notes in the meat will complement the wine’s rustic savoriness. Cheers!
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