Merlot is an early-budding, mid-season-ripening black grape from Bordeaux whose wines span a wide stylistic range. Bordeaux examples can be light and juicy or concentrated and built to age; Merlot also appears in other regions, including Friuli, where local sources describe a distinct regional expression. Its parentage is established by DNA research, while the finished wine’s body, freshness and texture depend on place and cellar choices.
Continue readingPetit Verdot is a black grape from southwestern France. French cultivar data records maturity around three and a half to four weeks after Chasselas in its reference conditions; Bordeaux’s interprofessional description calls it late-ripening in its local context. Fully ripe fruit can produce deeply coloured, rich, firm-tannined wines, while Bordeaux producers often use it as a small blending component for colour, structure and aromatic depth.
Continue readingMalbec is the international name for the black grape known in France as Côt, with Auxerrois used as a local name in Cahors. Genetic research traces it to southwestern France and identifies Magdeleine Noire des Charentes and Prunelard as its parents, although historical accounts differ over the most precise place of origin. The grape now has two defining reference points: structured, tannic Cahors and Argentina, where Malbec is the emblematic variety and styles range from rich fruit to fresher, floral high-altitude wines.
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