The Petit Manseng is an exceptional grape variety native to South West France, primarily grown in the Jurançon and Pacherenc du Vic Bihl wine regions. The grape skins are thick and rich in aromatic compounds, giving wines produced from Petit Manseng an intense aromatic profile.
This grape has been widely cherished for its ability to create both dry and sweet wines. The sweet wine, in particular, is highly praised for its ability to resist mould and fungus due to its tough outer skin, making it ideal for noble rot, a method used to concentrate sugar for dessert wines. The dessert wine showcases tropical fruit flavours with high acidity, commonly featuring notes of exotic fruits like pineapple, mango, and lychee, coated with a hint of spice.
Dry Petit Manseng wines are also increasingly popular. These wines retain high acidity levels, superb structure, and minerality. They often exhibit exquisite fruit flavours, ranging from crisp apples and pears to tropical fruits, with distinct floral and citrus overtones. To complement these flavour profiles, the wine is often aged in oak barrels adding complexity and enhancing its natural spiciness.
One of the salient features of Petit Manseng is its high sugar content, which easily supports considerable alcohol volume while maintaining balanced acidity. This interesting dichotomy provides the wine crafted from the grape, an indulgent mouthfeel without feeling overly sweet or heavy.
Petit Manseng tends to thrive in the cooler climates and chalky soils of its native region, preserving high acidity and those distinct flavours that wine enthusiasts have grown fond of. Today, this grape variety is expanding to new frontiers, including Australia and the US, as winemakers worldwide begin to fully appreciate Petit Manseng's unique attributes. Despite its low yield and demanding growing conditions, Petit Manseng's unparalleled ability to produce a wide variety of quality wines makes it a rising star among wine connoisseurs.
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