Gros Verdot

Gros Verdot is a red French wine grape variety that was a historically important grape in the Gironde wine region of Bordeaux but plantings of the variety have been banned in the region since 1946 with the grape no longer being a permitted variety in any AOC Bordeaux wines.

Today the grape is not widely cultivated with limited plantings in France, Chile and California where it is an acceptable component in Bordeaux-style Meritage blends.

Despite the similar name, ampelographers believe there is no direct genetic relation between Gros Verdot and Petit Verdot.

While ampelographers once believed that Gros Verdot originated with Petit Verdot in the Gironde region, DNA testing in 2007 showed that the grape likely originated as a wild grapevine domesticated in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region. The name Verdot stems from the French word vert meaning "green" and is thought to reference the acidic, unripe flavors that the grape can have if not given a long growing season to full ripen before harvest. The term Gros means "grand" or "large", however Gros Verdot actually has smaller berries than Petit Verdot.

The earliest mention of Gros Verdot comes from a 1736 document detailing it as one of the grapes, along with Petit Verdot, that was growing in the Bordeaux wine region. In the 19th century, Gros Verdot was a prominent grape in the Queyries vineyard planted outside the city of Bordeaux on land that is now part of the Jardin botanique de la Bastide. New plantings of Gros Verdot were officially banned from the Gironde in 1946 and today it is not listed in the French government's official register of permitted grape varieties.

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