Pirramimma Heritage Cabernet Petit Verdot 2016

This wine combines cabernet sauvignon with petit verdot, creating a much more intense and structured wine than pure cabernet. Petit verdot adds exceptional grip, deeper colour, and more concentrated flavours, making it perfect for those who find regular cabernet too light. The blend delivers the classic cabernet character but with significantly more power and density.

McLaren Vale's warm Mediterranean climate and diverse soils provide perfect conditions for petit verdot to ripen fully, which is crucial since this variety can struggle in cooler regions. The area's consistent warmth allows the grape to develop its characteristic intense colour and robust tannins. Pirramimma's established vines from the 1980s have adapted beautifully to these conditions, producing fruit with exceptional concentration.

Serve this wine at 16-18°C and decant it for at least an hour to allow the dense tannins to soften and the complex flavours to open up. The wine's intensity pairs beautifully with rich, protein-heavy dishes like grilled lamb, aged beef, or strong cheeses. Its robust structure means it can handle bold flavours and spicy seasonings that might overwhelm lighter reds.

While this wine is drinking beautifully now with its rich dark berry and chocolate notes fully integrated, its full-bodied structure and quality suggest it has excellent cellaring potential. The 2016 vintage is at a sweet spot where the primary fruit flavours are balanced with developing secondary characters. You can enjoy it immediately or cellar it for another 5-8 years to see how the earthy and mineral elements evolve.

This wine's bold character and coffee-chocolate notes make it exceptional with rich, umami-driven dishes like slow-braised short ribs, aged steaks, or game meats. The earthy and mineral qualities complement mushroom-based dishes and aged hard cheeses beautifully. Its intensity also pairs surprisingly well with dark chocolate desserts, where the wine's natural chocolate notes create a harmonious match.