Older than either Cabernet, Petit Verdot is one of the Gironde's ancient grapes — its name, from "vert", mocks the green berries it carried into October in the cool climate of old Bordeaux. One ripe year in three was the historical bargain, and after phylloxera most growers declined to renew it.
Where it does ripen it is magnificent: a tiny, inky berry bringing violet perfume, iron-dark colour and a whip of tannic energy that seasons a Médoc blend at just a few percent. Climate change is quietly rewriting its fortunes — the late grape of Bordeaux now ripens most years, and plantings are creeping back up.