Wine Description: This is a wine of texture, structure and intensity. Especially in this vintage, it performs well in the winter months with the richness and density to pair with the foods our bodies crave to keep us warm. The aromas and flavors complement this personality with buoyant tropical notes and rich creaminess, anchored by a stony, saline core, leading to precision in the finish. With 2019, we return to the raw power of the grape, a notable increase in body from the 2018. With almost full malolactic, there is creaminess enrobing the acidity and bringing flavors of pastry and baked bread to play with the mango and peach fruits. This is probably our most singular Petit Manseng to date, and the winemaking team has already committed to helping deplete the supply!

Winemaker Note: More than any other wine, dry Petit Manseng represents our philosophy of winegrowing in Virginia. We keep progressing, next year will be different, next year we apply what we’ve learned. It is also probably the wine most likely to elicit the comment, “Dang, this wine changes every year.” It sure does, and we love that about it. Petit Manseng’s acidity seems crazy high, and it is pretty darn high. We’ve learned to embrace it and to not push the wine to 17% alcohol just to drop the acid a bit. We’re also learning that you can temper it with lees aging, skin contact, and malolactic fermentation. And that richness that comes with the inherent ripeness of the grape? That helps tame the acidity as well. Every year we take a step further in embracing what this grape wants to be: a wine that has energy and strength rippling through it. Somehow it has power and concentration while also being laser focused. We love Petit Manseng, because it does not need to imitate a more famous wine; all it has to do is be itself, and it is distinct and compelling. There’s wildness in this journey that is Petit Manseng, and we’re excited to bring you along. This bottling was fermented warm in a combination of oak puncheon and foudre, concrete, and large Acacia.