Jefferson Vineyards, Monticello (Virginia) Petit Manseng 2021

 History can also be baggage, and that of Thomas Jefferson trying and failing at sustainably growing and producing vinifera wine is history too often revisited, even here.  Nevertheless, Jefferson Vineyards, a few miles away from Monticello, has been making very good wines for almost 40 years under the tutelage of the Woodward family.  A month ago, the vineyard and winery were sold to the Monticello Foundation, which somehow seems to close the loop.  Virginia has been make excellent wine for decades now, but what is interesting is that Petit Manseng, a grape from the South West region of France, has taken root in that state and elsewhere on the East Coast as making very good wine as both a varietal and in blends. (See companion review of the Barboursville Vermentino for another promising variety.)  I had a string of adjectives for this wine – lean, lightly tannic, pineapple and kiwi, juicy – and overall quite enjoyable.  On the East Coast, I think Petit Manseng can give Sauvignon Blanc a run for the money.