The leaves have 3-5 lobes with a distinctively elongated central lobe. The small, cylindrical bunches are winged, with small black berries.[2]
The name Petit Verdot ('small green') refers to one of the main problems with the grape, that often the berries fail to develop properly without the right weather during flowering. It also refers to the late ripening which usually comes too late for the Bordeaux climate. Petit Verdot also has a peculiar characteristic in that it produces more than two clusters per shoot.