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2014 Briceland Vineyards Petit Verdot Ishi Pishi Ranch - USA, California, North Coast, Humboldt County (11/10/2022)
Never had much luck with Petit Verdot, but this was a pleasant encounter. Lots of dark fruit (blueberry in particular). Drying tannins and tension in acid, not at all lumbering. Feels very European, I have to say. A bit of a wine lover's wine in style (this won't appeal to the Apothic Red crowd).
Never had a bad wine from this producer and this was no exception.Good stuff. (90 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
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I have a 4 year vertical of the PV that I can’t wait to drink. I’ve never had Andrew’s PV but sure have loved all his other wines.
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Shout out to @Corey_N for introducing me to Briceland and for trading me a '13 of this for @Adam_Frisch’s '18 La Malinche.
I’m awful with tasting notes, but for the '13 I have delicate baking spices drilled into memory.
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Hi Adam,
Thanks for your comments on the wine. I continue to learn about PV as this wine evolves over time. When younger, it was much more floral, red fruited and acid driven more like the 12. Over time it has gone darker and bigger, more like the 15. Still less ripe than that, but closer.
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And had your 2015 Syrah yesterday - also excellent!
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Made a mental note on this post, as I had one of these 2014s. Popped a truly uninspiring 2013 Ridge Cab to pair with grilled sausage, figured I needed some 'Murica, so grabbed this. Delish. Coffee, dark fruits and florals on the nose. Full bodied, big tannins and acid, arguably as you would expect from young Petit Verdot, but under this wall is a range of dark and brambly fruits, salted dark chocolates and rich soil. A sweetish, tangy, salty finish, long finish but just a hint of dryness. This drinks more Euro than Amero. (91 pts.)
Corey introduced me to this winery. Worth a look for sure!
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I am a huge fan of this wine. The 2015 is the only one I have tried. I keep reloading back vintages every time Andrew offers it up, but I want to make sure I save a good bit of it for the long term and especially for instructive purposes. When I had the 2015, one of the first things that popped into my head was Lafite. I am not saying the wine is comparable, but in a moment of realization I looked back at my extensive Lafite experience and could appreciate the great importance, despite its modest presence %-wise, of Petit Verdot in the blend. And so I hope in future to bring it to Bordeaux verticals as a ringer.
FWIW here is my TN for the 2015,
Opened two hours ago- first tasted at opening
rich deep purple red color, when first opened a rich nose of plums and other dark fruits, light floral notes, on the palate generous- almost jammy- cherry fruit with pronounced pencil lead notes and dark thornbushes leading into a final long finish with some chalk tones, over the course of two hours the tannins have become more prominent, but also the refreshingly beautiful scents of white wildflowers plus hints of intense little drops of cherry fruit coated with thorny brambles, violets and cloves, on the palate quite firm now but still approachable, chalk notes more pronounced, this is really quite an exceptional wine, it carries itself well- it has a certain distinguished air about it informed largely by the detailed expressions of terroir and grape, I think it would be quite fun to stick this blind in a Bordeaux line-up and see what people think, a beautiful and unique wine- the violets and lead remind one of Lafite-Rothschild itself- but this is an expression all its own and very much worth seeking out.
2 stars (2 more stars for the future)+, 2025++ I would give this at least 5 years to fully mature but it may take longer and will certainly last far longer
Note - This is not only a wine worth cellaring- but for any of you who are fairly new to the Bordeaux region and want to try a 100% Petit Verdot wine so that you can better learn to distinguish its presence in a Bordeaux blend, this is the best example I have ever come across for that purpose.
EDIT- for some reason my 5 * scores don’t copy over nicely. So edited my final read which is 4 stars +.
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Love Andrew’s wines. Well made and just deliver. I have had the '14 and '15 for the PV, my experience is in line with the other notes presented. I have a handful laying down as well, no rush on them.
