As the last day of my Big Wine Weekend™ for April 2025, Kathy & Rich, Kenny and I went to Glen Manor for a Members Only event – I got to be Kenny’s +1. It was a Petit Manseng release and review. Since the 2023 vintage was now available, the team pulled 2012, 2013, and 2014 from the cellar and let us sample all of those, along with the 2023 Petit Rouge, also recently released. As a bonus, they prepared Sancocho with fresh baked Focaccia, and some yummy dessert bars for us.
It was a beautiful Sunday – the day started chilly and I was sure I’d underdressed in a T-shirt and shorts for the event up in Front Royal. But the sun was warm, and the wine was flowing, so it all worked out well! We each got there and were joined by Warren of Virginia Wine Time. The five of us grabbed some adirondack chairs and stowed our stuff, and went through the tasting.
The 2012 Petit Manseng was our first stop, and it wowed me. It was high in residual sugar (most of Glen Manor’s Petit Manseng is sweet, and I sincerely miss the Dry Petit Manseng they had back in 2019 when I started visiting them) and had a ton of tropical notes – Kathy focused on the very ripe pineapple notes. It was nice, and had a deep straw color.
The 2013 Petit Manseng was similar in profile with maybe a little more acid in it, and seemed more subdued on the nose. We noted the bottle had just been opened, and that with time to breathe it may shift and be more aromatic like the 2012 vintage. It was still delicious and slightly less sense of sweetness in it.
The 2014 vintage was really pleasant and was my favorite from the library – “balanced” was the word we all used to describe it. The residual sugar and acid met in the right place and were incredible together. This would be perfect with spicy food. Actually, I’d put any of these with spicy food and enjoy. They held up beautifully. Aging Petit Manseng from Virginia is a real thing. We reflected on the Walsh library tasting earlier this year, and agreed that this grape is very strong for Virginia.
Finally, the current vintage, 2023. This had only 2.5% residual sugar and showed very high acid. I actually adored this one. While I shy away from nearly all sweet wine, this one is excellent, and I probably like it because of the high acidity. I suspect this will be a very popular wine!
The final wine of the tasting was the 2023 Petit Rouge. With 57% Cabernet Sauvignon in it, from the outstanding 2023 vintage, this was sure to be a wonderful wine. It did not disappoint, although I do think it had a little more oakey/vanilla characteristic to it. I suspect it is still young and requires a little more time to integrate and it will be a wonderful, young, drinkable wine.
We grabbed our Sancocho (a stew with beef and chicken, sweet potato, potato, corn, and peppers in it) and focaccia and sat under a shade. It was windy and cool, but the hot stew and great wine kept us warm. We enjoyed some 2022 Cabernet Franc and 2022 Nebbiolo with our food.
Glen Manor’s wines remain exceptional. I haven’t been to the winery since my 50th birthday in 2020, but it’s a serene as I recall. We sat and watched cars drive on Skyline Drive at the top of the mountain above the vineyard. It was such a wonderful day with great company, and I didn’t want to leave to head home. Alas, wine weekend has ended, and the real world beckons. The good news is, I’m a member at Glen Manor again! That means a healthy supply of incredible wine. And I got a really cool hat 🙂
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