Rosenthal

Petit Verdot
Malibu Newton Canyon, CA
2008

This wine is a deep, rich purple color - almost opaque with its darkness. It smells of oak and violets, with such bold, unique flavors this is one for your palette.  This grape is typically used in Bourdeaux blends, so it might be hard to find a varietal wine on its own.  In fact, this was Rosenthal's first 100% Petit Verdot bottling - usually it goes into their other blends.  But we think it's a hit!

Colin:  Like the drawn out attack from a bow to the striven of a violin, this wine initially hits your tongue tasteless and draws a light, airy finish. That rebounds with similar bold flavors to a Cabernet.

Rating: 9 out of 10 glasses - due to its uniqueness.

Rachel: I feel the opposite of Colin. I feel that this wine initially has a rich, earthy flavor. It delicately places the floral notes on your palette during a long finish. It's definitely a very unique wine, and it's unfortunate that this is usually used in varietal blends - because I'm very interested to try more Petit Verdot. I don't think the tones of this wine will match a white lover's palette, which is the only reason I lowered my rating - but a hit if you love reds!
Rating: 8 out of 10 glasses

Aerate: No, definitely not.  It's better to serve a little warmed (55F is the best temperature for this wine), not room temperature, but some of the flavors get crushed when you serve it chilled.

Where can I find it? We got it as a wedding gift from Colin's brother.  You can get it directly from the Rosental Winery website.  It's $32.00 without the wine club price, but it is well worth the price.