2020 Red Mountain Petit Verdot

Double Gold, 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Double Gold, 2024 Pacific Northwest Wine Competition
Double Gold, 2024 Hilton Head Food & Wine Festival
94 Points, Pacific Northwest Wine Competition

Petit Verdot lurks in the shadows of its more famous Bordeaux varietals. It has always deserved more; called upon to do yeoman service to enhance the color and flavor of Bordeaux blends. It’s relatively rare in WA State and when produced as a single varietal, not found very often. But for those who do take the chance, it’ll often win acclaim. 

Argonne Cellars’ Petit Verdot comes from the Red Mountain’s Stanton Vineyard and is Clone 2. And among the acres and acres of vines managed by the Shaw organization in Red Mountain, less than 0.1% are planted with this grape. 

Along with our 2022 Malbec, this Petit Verdot took forever to reach optimal Brix. But that’s the way it is with Petit Verdot, classically known as a late-ripening grape. In France, the seasons have typically been too short to fully ripen its tannins, leading to a bitter-tasting wine relegated to a blending. 

But we are not in France, and a bold, fruity, and floral result really comes through. We produced this wine with gentle processing, whole berry fermentation, virtually no sulfites added during fermentation, and we allowed it to fully finish in situ prior to pressing.

Red Mountain AVA
Stanton Vineyard