Cassagnoles Gros Manseng

Wonderful White Wine Value: 2022 Domaine des Cassagnoles Gros Manseng

If you love Sauvignon Blancs with a bit more concentration and exotic flavors, you've got to try this wine. It's been a personal favorite of mine for the 25+ years I've worked in this industry, and I still consider it one of the great French white wine values on the planet.

Quite full in flavor, with notes of caramelized citrus, melon, herbs and flowers, this is not a "quiet wine." Nope, it's quite "loud" and expressive. The Gros Manseng grape thrives in the southwestern wine regions of France, where it enjoys an enviable reputation as the grape responsible for some of the region's top white wines.

Domaine des Cassagnoles Gros Manseng

2022 Domaine des Cassagnoles Reserve Selection 'Cuvee Gros Manseng' 

Drinks like a richer, riper, and fleshier Sauvignon Blanc. Delicious!   

Father and daughter Gilles and Laure Baumann craft this brilliant white from their estate vineyards in Gascogne.  'Reserve Selection' is the family's top bottling, and it is produced from 25-30 year-old Gros Manseng. Fermented in tank and aged on the lees for 6-8 months, this kind of tastes like a New World Sauvignon Blanc crossed with a Viognier.

The Gros Manseng grape is unique among white varieties. The grape is thick skinned and the free run juice it releases is greyish in color. As the juice settles, the color transforms into a brilliant, deep yellow, nearly golden color. It takes a deft touch to produce elegant and refined wines, as a rough pressing or too much skin contact can yield bitter and unpleasant wines.

The Baumanns have mastered the idiosyncrasies of this tricky grape, and their version is fantastic year in and year out. Offering up heady notes of apricot, caramelized grapefruit, lime zest, green plum, and spice, this is crisp, rich, and complex on the palate. Excellent as an aperitif, it also loves poultry and richer fish and seafood preparations.

I am so excited for you all to try this wonderfully singular white wine, and you will not find this anywhere else in Western North Carolina. Enjoy this with spicy Asian cuisine or skip the food and just enjoy the wine for what it is. It is wonderful!