Today’s selection is the Thumbprint Cellars 2012 Dry Creek Valley Petite Verdot, a rich, bold, balanced and downright ostentatious. You might expect a PV to be a brash beast, but today’s food-friendly wine is balanced, refined and a pleasure to imbibe.

This wine is very aromatic, with scents that jump from the glass. Blackberry, blueberry, black cherry and cassis lead the way. Underneath these lie violet, red rose petal, cedar, dark chocolate, sweet spice and soft oak.

On the palate, dark, concentrated flavors of ripe blackberry, cassis and raisin, with rich follow-on flavors of dark chocolate, spice box, dried tobacco leaf, and toasty cedar.

We scooped up every last case that we could, but today’s very highly recommended wine will not last the day.