Had dinner last night w/ Grayson & Jennifer & he shared this wine:
Michael Shaps PetiteManseng Monticello/VA (14.4%; www.MichaelShapsWines.com; + Roussanne; RS: 0.34%) Charlottesvile VA 2016: Deep gold color; very strong very ripe/overripe ripe peach/PM/Jurancon-like slight botrytis very slight resiny/skin contact bit passito-like slight toasty/oak very complex beautiful nose; very rich/lush/mouthfilling slight botrytis/peach/pineapple slight skin-contact/phenolic slightly off-dry very Jurancon-like bit earthy quite complex flavor; very long/lingering very rich/lush/mouthfilling very strong ripe/peach/pineapple slight earthy/mineral light toasty/oak slight pungent/resiny bit passito-like slightly off-dry beautiful very complex finish; shows a little of a Jurancon-like character but not the earthy/rustic character and not nearly as sweet as most are; a very exotic huge mouthfilling expression of PM. $30.00 (vGK)
A wee BloodyPulpit:
I tried this wine w/ low-expectations. Yee gawd…it’s a VA wine, after all. I was pretty much blown away by it. It’s not nearly as sweet as the TablasCreek, but probably a a bit more exotic and complex. I thought I picked up a small amount of ViniMacerati/skin-contact/resiny character but the winemaker notes doesn’t indicate any skin-contact during fermentation, just a prolonged gross lees contact w/ battonage. But it is one of the most complex/interesting/exotic Petite Mansengs I can recall trying.
I’m now eager to try more of Michael’s wines.
Tom
Shaps wines were often on tap at Charlottesville restaurants which was always fun. Kind of reminded me of the European model of a town wine available by the carafe (though Shaps wines not for 1-2EUR/liter, sadly)
This is, in my opinion, the best white wine made in Virginia. I just wish Virginian vineyards would stop producing so much Chardonnay and plant more Petit Manseng, which already has several other excellent expressions in the state.
Shaps’ other wines are well worth seeking out. In particular Petit Verdot (my pick for best red grape in Virginia) and Tannat.
Michael Shaps is really good stuff. I stumbled across his winery in Charlottesville a few years ago and was impressed. While most Virginia wineries are pretty fancy and party oriented, his place was just a pretty bare bones warehouse with a counter. The wines were the best we’d had in Charlottesville and there wasn’t a close second.
Petit Manseng is an interesting grape for California. I’ve taken it for two vintages form El Dorado County. You tend to see it made into sweeter wines due to its acidity. However, with the warmer climate here (that tend to suppress acidity), it actually makes a very good contender for dry wines. I remember the winemaker at Tablas Creek saying it would be almost impossible to make a dry wine from it because of the acid levels, but that’s not what I’m seeing in El Dorado.
I think it has a great future here and it’s also a very aromatic and compelling grape to make wine from.