Hey friends need help. I am trying to understand what does/should a good Petit Manseng taste like. In essence, I want to find 3-6 bottles to calibrate my understanding of this varietal. Dry. No blend. Can you guys and gals give me your suggestions? Bonus if there is a virginia wine thrown In! No crap! Btw can be french/international but again no blends. THANK YOU
Casale del Giglio makes a 100% petit manseng that did really well at my store’s tastings: https://www.casaledelgiglio.it/en/petit-manseng/
Thanks…very helpful
Our favorite is Domaine des Cassagnoles Gros Manseng Côtes de Gascogne Reserve Selection, about $13 and excellent.
Tablas Creek makes one. It’s 100% and 14.4 alc… It’s different than most ‘dessert’ wines. Fruity and a bit sweet. Their website states a profile of key lime, lychee, chalk and tarragon. It also states it is a sweet wine without botrytis. I’ve had it only once.
Don’t know if their wine is representative of most Petit Manseng wines from Jurancon.
Douglas thanks, I will check it out. Hoping to find “dry” examples!
Thanks Dave! I am on it!
Wait this is “gros” not petit. Doesn’t help me!!
Very few go completely dry with PM mainly because it’s so acidic. Most will stop it with residual sugar to help with the perception of acidity. I’ve heard stories of it seeing 28 brix and pH of 2.8 In the vineyard. I have one vine left that I planted and it stops tasting shrill around 28-29 brix. I’d pull it out, but it’s head trained and sits by itself. Chateau de Cabidos has one that’s dry.
If it has to be dry, I’m not sure where to point you for a VA version. If a little bit of RS is acceptable look at Glen Manor or alternatively Chester Gap. It’s been a number of vintages since I have had either but those were the ones I recall doing the best with it in that style.
I don’t know but I think that nighttime temps make a difference. I’ve harvest my PM at much lower brix and taken it dry without feeling it’s shrill and even sparkled a batch picked at 19 brix that turned out lovely without dosage. But then again my nighttime temps are often in the 70s. I haven’t measured pH or TA in years (lazy) so don’t know the numbers. Maybe they are that low but I doubt it. Back when I did measure these things my barbera would be 3.6 at 22 brix.
We had this a few years ago:
2005 Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec La Canopée
Now, it says “sec” so I went by that, but I certainly can’t speak with any knowledge whether that really means fermented to dryness or not.
In any case, not our usual wine, but here was our note:
11/15/2014 - 88 Points
Medium gold. Nose of melted wax, apple cider, lemon, and some pineapple. The palate is tart on the attack, full-on underripe tropical and pommes, and quite comfortingly full. It tastes as though the acidity were checking the sugar, but it is completely dry. The finish reiterates the attack, cleansing obviously and long. We drank this wine with turkey meatloaf, a good choice which was savory and did not clash with such a powerful wine. Generally this wine might be best on its own or perhaps with some strong cheese.
Typical qualities of Petit Manseng are ridiculously high acidity and often rather pronounced bitterness, ranging from mildly pithy grapefruit to pronounced quinine. That’s why Petit Manseng is normally either used in blends or vinified off-dry/sweet. There are some Jurancon Sec wines, but making a balanced dry Petit Manseng requires skill, because the piercing acidity and noticeable bitterness can make the wines feel rather austere and aggressive.
Apparently Petit Manseng really doesn’t lose its acidity even if it is harvested very late and overripe. I’ve had some wines made from grapes harvested in late November and early December and even they were ridiculously acid-driven. This capability to retain acidity through ripeness makes it so perfect in sweet wines and its pronounced acidity makes the variety a terrific blending component - a relatively small addition of PM can give an otherwise flabby wine wonderful sense of freshness and structure.
Gros Manseng feels very similar to Petit Manseng and the best examples of GM are pretty much on par with good PMs. Normally they tend to be a bit less intense and feel less concentrated, that’s about it. But a great Gros Manseng can easily outshine a mediocre Petit Manseng. Only when it comes to splitting hairs, Petit Manseng offer better potential to make outstanding wines.
Try to get at least a few Jurancon or Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh wines, these regions consistently produce the best examples of the variety. I heartily suggest not only concentrating on the Sec wines but also checking out the sweeter iterations as well. The best ones can be exceptional.
Cauhapé is one of the most revered producers of Manseng wines. Their wines can come across as a bit polished and modern in their youth, but they can take tons of cellaring and become quite outstanding if aged long enough.
Otto, thank you this is the exact guidance I need. Very much appreciate the help!
i have enjoyed these producers wine : Camin Larredya, Château Lapuyade, and Caucaillau. many of the wines are comprised of different varieties.
Did someone say “Petit Manseng” and “Virginia”?
I really, truly believe that Petit Manseng is Virginia’s calling when it comes to white wine. Most of the best whites I’ve had from the state (lived in NOVA from 2016-2019) have been Petit Mansengs. The best are harvested ripe, at high Brix, and fermented dry or near-dry, because they retain their acidity so well and have the acid and body to handle the alcohol. The best examples I have had have been from Michael Shaps and The Barns at Hamilton Station (no surprise, Michael Shaps is also the winemaker for that label). Paradise Springs makes a good slightly off-dry (5 g/l RS) example, too.
it’s sweet and from France (Jurancon), so perhaps this is more for others than you:
Charles Hours - “Uroulat”
If you are in the US and want to try a very good one, we have a local winery that makes an excellent rendition. The winery is Tiger Mountain Winery in Tiger, GA. The Ezzards make one of the best in the USA. Haven’t tried their late harvest but I bet it is pretty interesting. I love the almost bone dry one they usually make. http://www.tigerwine.com/index.html
- Camin Larredya - Jurancon Au Capceu (sweet)
- Benjamin Dagueneau - Jurancon Jardins de Babylone (sweet)
- Clos Joliette - Vin de France (sometimes quite dry, sometimes quite sweet, often in between)
- Franz Haas - Alto Adige Petit Manseng (dry)
- Domaine Cauhapé - Jurancon Follie de Janvier or Quintessence du Petit Manseng (sweet) or La Canopée (dry)
- Domaine Guirardel - Jurancon Marrote (sweet)