FORREST PETIT MANSENG 2025

A remarkable white wine for aperitif or lighter desserts made from a very, very rare variety in New Zealand. Petit Manseng is a grape from southwest France that performs the delicate balancing act of ripening very late (sometimes in June) while keeping its fresh, bright acidity. The result is wine that finishes dry(ish) but is richly ripe and complex on the palate.

Winery notes (2025 Vintage)
"Ripe white peach, mango and zesty lemon sherbet. The delicious fruit sweetness is balanced by the wine’s naturally high acidity to delight the palate – a burst of sweet fruit, rich, full and mouth filling, yet crisp and refreshing with an almost dry finish. Perfect as an aperitif with game pate and fruit chutney on a salty biscuit.

Petit Manseng is native of the Juraçon region in the southwest of France. Here it prospers, with vigorous rambling growth, albeit producing low-yielding vines with pink/blue coloured small, tough-skinned berries. It ripens late, retains excellent acidity, and appears immune to botrytis. Our small planting in the middle of the stony Wairau River valley floor behaves very much as in the Juraçon. We have hung the fruit late into the season (May-June), allowing the grapes to shrivel a little, concentrating the flavours whilst still retaining good acidity.

The grapes were machine harvested in the cool of the morning, cold settled and cool fermented in stainless steel tanks prior to blending and finishing for bottling in spring. 94/gl RS."