The Coho Petit Verdot Chinn Vineyard consists of 2016 and 2018 vintage Petit Verdot (mostly 2016). It has 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot – both 2017 vintage.
My Coho Petit Verdot Chinn Vineyard review
Typical of Petit Verdot, pours out blackish-ruby-purple. The berry fruit flavors are super-strong and intense. Ripe, lip-staining blackberries, pipe tobacco, mocha, roast Mediterranean herbs and black truffle flavors galore from first sip through the long, 25 second finish. (And well worth noting the flavor grows on the palate…Petit Verdot often loses its luster in the mouth. Deft blending and longer barrel aging contributes to this.) All the flavor is matched by brilliant acidity. Everything is turned up here, except the alcohol which comes in at 14.7%. Ample, suave tannins on the finish. Such an impressive Napa Valley red that makes a great match with grilled or wood-fired red meats (good amount of marbling in the meat recommended).
Coho owner Gary Lipp has hit a home run with this unique bottling of Petit Verdot. Philip Titus is Coho’s winemaker.
Written for the Outer Space email newsletter on March 16, 2023:
My first taste of the Coho Petit Verdot came in 2021 and is the foundation of the shining wine review above. I tasted it again two weeks back with owner Gary Lipp. The wine is even better so I gussied up the review and acquired all that Gary had left.
You may know Petit Verdot as a popular blending grape because small amounts add color and tannin to Cabernet Sauvignon. But alone it often disappoints in the flavor department – called a “Donut Wine” because it can be empty (lacking flavor) in the middle. That’s why you don’t often see it bottled alone. Well, call the Coho Petit Verdot a Cinnamon Roll because it has fantastic smells and flavors beginning, middle and end.
Coho Petit Verdot tasting note highlights: The Coho Petit Verdot “Chinn Vineyard” Coombsville, Napa Valley pours out blackish-ruby-purple. Ripe, lip-staining blackberries, pipe tobacco, mocha, roast Mediterranean herbs and black truffle flavors galore. All the flavor is matched by brilliant acidity. Everything is turned up here, except the alcohol which comes at 14.7% is relatively modest for a wine of such power and concentration. Ample, suave tannins on finish. Only 71 cases made.
How’d owner Gary Lipp (right) make his Coho Petit Verdot a Cinnamon Roll?
He (or should I say his winemaker Phil Titus) blended in 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot, aged it in barrel longer than usual, and, most uniquely, combined 2016, 2017 and 2018 vintages. A little unorthodox, but Gary does like to swim against the flow.
2018 is the last vintage of Coho. I’m nearing the end of a long, fruitful business relationship with Gary. But we’ll still hit a few Giants game together, right Gary? Also in stock: Coho Pinot Noir 2018 and Coho “Headwaters” Red Blend 2018.
