Long Ting | Penglai, Shandong
With their vineyards only five kilometres from the sea, both cooling breezes and sparing rain shapes the identity of place. but what courage does it take, to plant vines in one of the most humid regions in China?
Long Ting, meaning the dragon’s pavilion in Chinese, has not quivered in nature’s challenge and has instead found solutions to change. We couldn’t quite believe our ears when Larson Liu, LongTing’s head winemaker told us that is it Petit Manseng that constitutes a large portion of plantings in their vineyards. Someone has finally found a perfect marriage: thick-skinned, disease-hardy Petit Manseng on the Penglai coast often graced by sea breeze and summer rain. The drier autumn days allow them to extend their ripening well into November, creating materials for the golden nectar that has the same take on the Chinese’s philosophy on dessert: sweet, but not too sweet.
A guarded and reserve man on first meeting, the way to get Liu to talk is exactly Petit Manseng, and biodynamics, that he is actively pursuing in the vineyards, as he started seeing that the vines needed way less chemical treatment as a result. Therefore, we think that their “Jade” Late Harvest Petit Manseng deserves a place on our portfolio, showcasing China’s diversity and talents in the wonderful world of wine.
Wines
Long Ting, ‘Sea Breeze’ Dry Petit Manseng 2022 ●
The wine glows with a bright, elegant straw-gold, a reflection of the region’s long frost-free growing season and gentle coastal-influenced microclimate. Its bouquet is rich and inviting, layered with honeyed tropical fruits, orchard fruit, delicate citrus, and the floral sweetness of gardenia, sweet apricot, and pineapple, giving a sense of both depth and refinement. On the palate, it is silky and rounded, with a layered structure reminiscent of an autumnal fruit feast, while lively acidity balances the pure, dry fruit flavors and a subtle mineral edge. The finish is long and tactile, carrying gentle chewiness and a bittersweet almond-kernel note that lingers, providing complexity and harmony. As the estate’s first small-sized Manseng dry wine, it already demonstrates remarkable precision and elegance, and with 6–12 months of cellar ageing, it promises even greater depth and finesse.
Petit Manseng |750 ml| 13.0% abv
Long Ting, ‘Jade’ Petit Manseng 2021 ●
The highest compliment that a dessert could receive in China? ‘'Not too sweet’. Yes, in the Chinese culture, we seek balance in everything, and that is what this wine embodies. Glistening gold in its slender bottle, it breaks free from the mould of a classic sweet wine. In the glass, enticing kumquats, sweet pickled lemon, jasmine, and a zesty juiciness. With a sugar level of only ~50g/L, this is a versatile, yet charming sweet wine from the only maritime region in China.
Petit Manseng |700 ml| 12.5% abv
