Petit Verdot, Stella Crinita

floral │ blackberry │ structured

Dark plum, blueberry compote, violets, black tea, and that unmistakable Petit Verdot graphite core. This vintage is rich but not heavy, with a beautiful lift of acidity that keeps the fruit vertical rather than jammy. The tannins are firm but polished — more suede jacket than sandpaper — and the finish carries this savory, almost inky herbality.

Farmed biodynamically at high elevation, fermented with native yeasts, and raised in old barrels that impart texture rather than oak flavor. Stella Crinita keeps intervention low so the grape can be exactly what it is: intense, moody, deeply colored, but surprisingly elegant when handled with restraint.

The estate is part of the Michelini family universe — a constellation of natural-leaning winemakers in western Argentina making some of the most soulful wines in the country. Their whole philosophy is about purity, vitality, and letting altitude do the heavy lifting.

Petit Verdot is usually the side-character blending grape, but here it gets the lead role — and honestly, it should take the stage more often.