Words: Dan Traucki

Originally published in Wine Business Magazine 02/23

There are two variants of the French native white variety Manseng, as well as a red variant-(of which there is only around 50 hectares in the world). Petit Manseng, which has small, thick-skinned berries, producing excellent, tasty wines and Gros Manseng, which produces bigger berries and a heavier crop so that unless kept in check produces a more commercial wine. According to “Which Wine Grapes are Grown Where” by Kym Anderson (University of Adelaide Press), globally in 2010, there were 1,327 hectares of Petit Manseng (ranked 228th most grown wine grape variety), and 4995 hectares of Gros Manseng (raked 108th)

Well, well quel surprise, or as we would say it-“surprise, surprise”, guess what, in May 2020 the CSIRO discovered that the original cuttings of Petit Manseng that arrived in Australia in 1979 were actually Gros Manseng and not Petit Manseng. This is the sad Albarino/Savagnin story all over again- in that we think we are getting cuttings of one variety only be advised further down the track that what we were shipped was a different variety. In this case it took 40 years for the blunder to be discovered. As it turns out all those fabulous Petit Manseng wines we have been drinking and enjoying (see my article in WBM May-June 2016 Edition) over the last few decades were in fact Gros Manseng. That’s “no biggie” as it is the same delicious wine that tastes just as delightful as it did before BUT the chaos and confusion of the re-naming, will significantly hamstring the evolution and success of the variety here in Australia. Why? Well because potential new consumers will naturally shy away from anything called Gros- the connotation of Gros V Petit is massive. Petit means small, elegant whilst Gros means big and fat. Mind you it is still the very same wine we have been enjoying for yonks.

Gros Manseng is grown mainly in Southern France where it is predominantly used in blended wines. In Jurancon and Bearn it used to produce dry white wines, whereas in Gascony it is also used in making the delightfully sweet Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh. The appellation Vins de Pays Côtes de Gascogne is a large white wine growing area to the west of Toulouse, that produces around 100 million bottle of wine a year, of which Gros Manseng represents around about 6-10%.

The juice of Gros Manseng- unlike other white varieties, is slightly grey in colour which leads to a deeper, yellower/more golden colour in the wine. Its thick skin means that it requires plenty of TLC and attention to detail in the vinification, as rough handling will lead to high phenolics and tannins, making it a coarse or rustic wine. Which given rustic production methods employed in the past, in rural France, would explain why Petit Manseng is more highly regarded than Gros Manseng.

Gros Manseng wines are usually somewhat deeper in colour than other white wines, with vibrant floral and fruit aromas and flavours, usually described as floral, spice, pear, quince and apricot. They are medium bodied to full bodied depending on when the grapes are picked. The variety’s high acidity balances out the richness to produce well rounded, elegant wines. Harvest date plays a key role in the style of the wine. Earlier picked- ergo lower alcohol wines are lighter, brighter with more florals, whilst wines made from later picked grapes tend more towards being more intense and powerful wines with the richer, quince, pear and apricot aromas and flavours.

Until discovered to be here in Australia, Gros Manseng was not known to venture to other lands. The Manseng that spread to California and Uruguay is of course Petit Manseng.

So here in Australia there are currently 23 “Manseng” growers/producers of which less than half submitted samples for the tasting. I’m not sure if that is due to too much Christmas cheer or reticence to highlight/ be part of the name confusion. Either way those who did submit samples submitted some cracking great wines and amply demonstrated that once the kerfuffle settles down- Manseng potentially has a great future here. A special thanks to New England’s Topper’s Mountain who supplied four samples spanning a decade back to 2012.

All of the wines tasted were of good to great quality, with attractive tastes, great elegance, balance and mouthfeel, with most coming from cooler climates.

The following being notable:

To start with there was one Frizzante (lightly sparkling) wine:

Crittenden Estate 2021 King Valley “Los Hermanos Saludos” (the brother’s cheers) Gros Manseng. Lovely and fizzy with a hint of nuttiness on the bouquet and zesty lime flavours on the palate- Oh so refreshing and glugable!

Then we had:

The sole South Australian representative in the line-up was:

919 Wines- Riverland 2022 Gros Manseng- Whilst it is still a very young wine, it is in the bigger richer style with great depth of attractive flavours and zesty acidity on the finish. Would love to try it again with 3-5 years of aging- I think it would be divine.

Victoria was well represented by:

Gapsted Wines 2022 Alpine Valleys “Secret Harvest’ Grand Manseng- Love the use of “Grand” in the name!!  Cool climate but later picked making it a classy very appealing wine with dainty pear flavours.

Symphonia Wines 2021 King Valley Manseng alongside the 2016 vintage. The youngster was very attractive with a bouquet of florals, pears and melons, there was a splash of fruit sweetness on the front palate with lashings of flavour. The elder (2016) amply demonstrated the benefits of cellaring this variety for a while, it was bright light golden yellow in colour with complex maturation characters and a smidge of the pears and melons one would expect. The palate was simply divine, silky smooth, rich, mouthfilling well rounded- bloody marvelous!!

Symphonia Wines- The Symphonia Wines 2021 King Valley Royal Late Harvest Manseng along with the 2018 vintage which won a Gold Medal at the 2018 AAVWS. They were both “Nectar of the Gods” with the 2021 still being a smidge tight but  superb nonetheless- just have patience and it will blossom magnificently. The 2018 had already become a deep golden colour, with an alluring bouquet of ripe peaches, and pears with a hint of honey. The palate was exquisite, very sweet, oh so round and tasty, packing power and richness without cloying- Absolutely Magnificent!!

And Fighting Gully Road 2021 Beechworth Gros Manseng “Moelleux” (375ml) – gorgeous dessert wine with mellow aromas of peaches and nectarines, a divinely sweet mouth filling palate with honey & nut characters that does not cloy- OH YUMMMM!!!

Queensland was ably represented by the

View Wines 2021 Granite Belt Gros Manseng- a cool climate wine that has attractive hazelnut and floral aromas and bouquet, stacks of flavour, is well balanced with a refreshing finish.

N.S.W. was superbly represented by:

Word of Mouth Wines 2022 Orange district 1K High Manseng- a superlative sweet (spatlese) style wine with alluring florals, a splash of passion fruit and rock melon on the bouquet and sweet rock melons on the delicious palate – perfect for spicy Asian food.

Topper’s Mountain from New England who sent along their 2021 Manseng, 2017 Petit Manseng-as it was then called, 2016 Wild Ferment Petit Manseng and their 2012 Wild Ferment Petit Manseng. The evolution of the house style was evident across this decade of Manseng.

The youngest was really bright, tight and restrained- needing some time to bloom and show what it is really capable of. The 2017 was blossoming with hints of maturation characters and complexity leading to an appealing slightly nutty tasting finish. The 2016 had a slightly funky bouquet from the wild yeast fermentation and still had a degree of the crisp acidity of its youth left.

The 2012 was truly sublime. It had a slightly funky wild ferment bouquet, was rich, round with lashings of flavour and silky smooth- Aging brilliantly. Perfection at 10 years old.

In our tastings we usually come across a few wines that are out of character (typicity) or just simply lack appeal- this was not the case here, where each and every wine was well worth consuming and enjoying.

Going back to the name issue, I initially suggested to the producers that I spoke to that they should simply call it “Manseng” as there is no Petit Manseng (to my knowledge) in the country, however research shows that there are a number of Petit Manseng wines on the international stage that are simply labelled as “Manseng” which would therefore cause a problem/add to the confusion. So perhaps we should name the wines made from Gros Manseng as “Mighty Manseng”, or as Gapsted Wines have- “Grand Manseng” thereby making it sound more attractive to “newbies” without breaching any of the international rules. Food for thought as the producers wrangle their way through this nightmare scenario, to hopefully emerge with viability for this attractive and exciting white variety.

Keep an eye out for Manseng wines- no matter how they are titled on the label, as Aussie Manseng are real rippers!!!

Long live Manseng the Mighty – VIVE le MANSENG!!