Arterra Trio: Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot and Tannat

Affectionately referred to as the ‘Arterra Trio’, Tannat, Petit Verdot, and Petite Sirah have established themselves as core varietals to the Arterra experience. Each produces distinct varietal wines, and have come together as the blending components of the “Crooked Run’ Arterra Estate Vineyard red blend.

Tannat and Petit Verdot have been focal points for winemaker Jason Murray since his earliest vintage in 2005. Both varietals immediately proved to be ideal selections for the pursuit of highest quality Virginia Wine, especially in light of truly minimalist clean winemaking practices. If a wine is not going to be “fixed” in the cellar, then the attributes of the grape must be superior, as well as consistent, year to year.

Both Tannat and Petit Verdot thrive in our region with the warm nights that accompany our warm days during the growing and ripening season. When these two are grown in coastal or desert regions, the cold nights will simply not ripen through the high acidity, and cannot produce a balanced wine. Additionally in favor of Virginia’s conditions, both varietals will cease growth and water uptake during the later phases of ripening, resulting in these vines ability to produce impressive consistency of concentration despite the often wet soils during autumn, by way of dehydrating the berries.

Of the two, Petit Verdot may be more widely applicable to the mid-atlantic, as it has superior winter hardiness, reasonable yields even after frost damage, and is not prone to rot even in prolonged wet conditions. Tannat possibly has more intensity and robustness due to a more significant progression of berry dehydration – but alas it is not a survivor on low sites or very high sites – where the cold conditions can be fatal. But an ideal mountainside planting of Tannat has impressive potential for producing impressive wines.

Petite Sirah was planted as a trial block following after some initial impressive small scale batches at Muse Vineyards. While the first couple harvests at the Arterra Estate Vineyard of Petite Sirah were lighter and more rustic, the third and subsequent harvests have yielded impressive wines. As the vine gains age it offers a smaller yield, smaller clusters, reduced rot pressure, and allows longer ripening time. Petite Sirah, unlike Tannat and Petit Verdot, will only dehydrate in the most intense of drought years, but none-the-less it produces a wine with an impressive fine-tannin focused structure, which is a huge attribute when blending the Crooked Run. The response to variably wet soils in the fall does result in a bit more swing annually, but not at all to the extent of catastrophe that some less suitable varietals suffer.