Ciel Du Cheval Petit Verdot
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5 to 15 years from the vintage release, as its formidable tannin structure requires a few years to soften and integrate.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
grilled ribeye steak, slow-braised lamb shanks, aged hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
The Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, planted in 1975 by pioneering grower Jim Holmes, is one of the most revered sites in Washington State's tiny Red Mountain AVA. This sun-drenched appellation is famous for its harsh, desert-like conditions, gravelly soils rich in calcium carbonate, and sweeping winds. While Petit Verdot is traditionally used as a minor blending grape in Bordeaux, the intense heat of Red Mountain allows it to ripen fully, transforming it into a spectacular single-varietal showcase. Winemaker Charlie Hoppes coaxes incredible depth from these low-yielding vines, crafting a wine known for its opaque purple hue, muscular tannins, and signature aromas of violet, dark plum, and graphite. It represents a masterful marriage of old-world structure and new-world fruit intensity.
🍾 About the Producer
Fidélitas was founded in 2000 by veteran Washington winemaker Charlie Hoppes, formerly the head red winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle. Joined by his son Will Hoppes, the winery embodies an unyielding dedication to Bordeaux grape varieties cultivated exclusively within Washington State's prestigious Red Mountain AVA. Situated on warm, southwest-facing slopes, the region's intense sunlight, fierce winds, poor gravelly loam soils, and profound diurnal temperature fluctuations foster thick-skinned berries with formidable concentration and natural acidity. The estate vineyard, first planted in 2008 and farmed sustainably with Sustainable WA certification, is complemented by premier fruit partnerships with iconic sites such as Ciel du Cheval and Quintessence. Winemaking employs micro-lot fermentations in oak and neutral barrels, yielding structured, deeply expressive wines. The estate's benchmark portfolio is anchored by the flagship Optu Red and Optu White blends, vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignons, and varietal Malbecs.
🍇 Grapes
Petit Verdot