When Irene de Fleuriot took over as cellar master of La Bri Estate, in Franschhoek, her first encounters with their Petit Verdot vineyard were forgettable at best, and cruelly memorable  at worsts. The fruit was gamey, and unwelcoming, labouring to ripen under some unruly canopies.
But as Irene and the la Bri tea, began pruning back the canopy, and revealing more of the bunches to the delightfully warm Franschhoek sunshine, the fruit began delivering wines that were both vibrant and complex.
The 2015 vintage was the first year that Irene felt like the vineyard had delivered something worth shouting about, and tentatively began selling the wine through their tasting room. The quality and renown of the wine has grown to the point where it is now an important flag bearer in the range, and from the 2022 vintage onwards, the wine became available nationwide.
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👃🏼 The nose on this beauty is absolutely glorious! There are explosive waves of red rose petals, cherry sherbet, red plum,  blackberry, and a touch of what I think is pepper spice!

👄 The palate is super vibrant…and one begins to see why Petit Verdot has a reputation for its insane acidity. The palate manages – SOMEHOW to be brawnier than the thighs of a russian miner, while ALSO being packed with vibrant juicy berry fruit – both red and black. There is tart sour red cherry up front, which then mixes delightfully with riper deeper blackberry…and then straight out a shiraz playbook, there is this lovely burst of clean white pepper towards the finish. I’m not sure if this is typical Petit Verdot, but it certainly is delicious.

The wine is matured in a combination of new and old oak for 24 months. | Alc 13.26% | pH 3.7 | Sugar 3.3g/l | Acid 6.1g/l