Domaine Franco-Chinois Petit Manseng

Domaine Franco Chinois’s 2018 Petit Manseng has a deep amber appearance and sports an immediately appealing nose of dried pear, quince and baked apple with that trademark Petit Manseng spice note of nutmeg or clove (think poached, spiced pears) combined with other dried fruit, including raisins and stone fruit (dried peach, apricot, nectarine). There’s also some nutty development with a caramelized character. On the palate, it is very full-bodied, with marked residual sugar (some 200 grams per liter), supporting acidity and well-integrated 11.5% alcohol, and it has a rich, concentrated palate buoyed by Petit Manseng’s naturally acidic character. There is significant length here, abundant fruit, and the 2018 strikes me as on par with the strong 2014 vintage in terms of quality. This really is China’s best sweet Petit Manseng. Drinking well now, it will continue to develop in bottle over the next 5 or so years and perhaps for longer. [ 93 / 100 pts, Vintage 2018, by Edward Ragg, MW]]

Gingerbread and honeyed, orange and lemon blossom and pineapple aromas, with peppery nuances. Very rich and sweet, impressive. Toasty finish.[ 93 / 100 pts, Vintage 2018 ]

Dried fruit, a hint of noble rot leads onto roasted almonds and honey, perfectly balanced by the lively acidity on the palate. Just like the classic 'Tarte Tatin', it has a seductively rich and refreshing flavour-extraordinary! This remarkable wine could make the French homesick. [ 94 / 100 pts, Vintage 2018 ]

Vivid, deep golden-yellow colour. Extremely intense and piercing aromas of ripe papaya, mango, tropical fruit cocktails, honey, and sweet spices. Downright decadent in the mouth, boasting exceptional inner-mouth perfume and honeyed flavours of tropical fruit jellies, vanilla, and passionfruit nectar. So rich and thick it coats the mouth from start to finish, but despite it being so massive harmonious acidity leaves an impression of balance and grace behind on the long suave aftertaste. To be crystal-clear, this is a world class Petit Manseng wine: richer and bigger if perhaps less nuanced than the best of southwestern France, but make no mistake about it, this is very much in the same league. Very, very well done here, from the estate that showed everyone in China what a bright future petit Manseng and its wines could have in the country.[ 95 / 100 pts, Vintage 2017 ]