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Mas de Daumas Gassac
Mas de Daumas Gassac was established in the 1970s, and since then has come to be described by some as a "Grand Cru of Languedoc". Such hyperbole may in some way be warranted, as these are indeed wines of excellent quality. What is more, they are made very much in the Bordeaux mould, based on Cabernet Sauvignon, with the necessary structure and stuffing for a prolonged period of ageing in the cellar. And I have, more than once, seen them mistaken for a St Estèphe in a blind tasting.
The story of how Mas de Daumas came to be has been well described, and so I will
only briefly allude to it here. The property was purchased by Aimé Guibert, a
Parisian glove manufacturer, with no intention of making wine. A visit from
Bordeaux professor of Oenology Henri Enjalbert, however, provided the spark that
lit the tinder. He recognised that the combination of the red glacial soils
beneath the local garrigue, together with the altitude, and the nocturnal
currents of cool air that pass over the vineyards, made the site ideal for
viticulture. The first vines were planted at Mas de Daumas Gassac in 1974, with 1978 being the first vintage, made
with the assistance of oenologist Emile Peynaud. There are now over 30 hectares
planted up, predominantly with Cabernet Sauvignon, and also with a range of
other varieties, some of which may cause a few eyebrows to rise. These include
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Tannat and Pinot Noir, as well as a collection of
Italians - Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. The white varieties are mainly
Chardonnay, Viognier and Petit Manseng, but also Marsanne, Roussanne, Chenin
Blanc, Sercial, Muscat and more.
The grand vin at Mas de Daumas Gassac is the standard red bottling, a Vin de Pays de l'Herault. This wine is destined for the cellar, the advice from Aimé Guibert being that it frequently needs decades of bottle age - tastings of the 1985, 1983 and 1982 below would seem to confirm this. The Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, also a Vin de Pays de l'Herault, is approachable young but from experience I know it will age well also. It is a blend of 30% each of Chardonnay, Viognier and Petit Manseng, with other varieties mentioned above making up the remainder. In addition to these two wines, there is a new super-cuvée Emile Peynaud, of which the first vintage is the 2001. This wine represents just a small plot of the Daumas Gassac vineyards, using fruit from just the first hectare of Cabernet Sauvignon ever to be planted at the domaine. Finally there is Vin de Laurence, a fascinating blend of late harvest Muscat (50%) and Sercial (50%) which, when I first tasted it, reminded me more of Madeira than anything else.
In addition to the estate wines Aimé Guibert also produces a range of blends under the Collections des Vins Terrasses label. He has also been instrumental in assisting the local co-operative in improving quality. (3/2/04)
Contact details:
Address: 34150 Aniane
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 67 57 71 28
Fax: +33 (0) 4 67 57 41 03
Internet:
www.daumas-gassac.com
Mas de Daumas Gassac - Tasting Notes
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Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 2002: A lifting, fresh
exuberant nose, packed with
lime citrus and tropical fruits. Similarly fresh on the palate, with fine
acidity. Rich in fruit, and some flesh to the texture. Lovely. Drink now, or
cellar and enjoy over the next five to eight years. A good impression on what is
a repeat sampling of this wine. 17/20 (November 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 2002:
Chardonnay, Viognier and Petit Manseng in equal proportions. Very
pale hue. Delightfully fresh, vibrant fruit on the nose, with a tropical
edge. Lovely palate. Elegant, with clean sherbet-edged fruit. Tasted alongside
wines of the previous vintages in a
Southern Rhône 2001 tasting.
17/20 (March 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 2002: A barrel sample, due to be bottled Spring 2004.
Bright red fruits on the nose, with a sweet, smoky, slightly yeasty edge. The
palate is full, fruit-dominated, with a good amount of tannin and firm acidity. Simple and light at present - but I suspect this will fatten up and gain interest
with further time in barrel. A little difficult to call in this state, but I
suspect this will also need eight to ten years in the cellar. 17+/20 (November 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 2001: Rich and exotic on the nose, with some roasted
nuts and black fruit aromas. Good weight on the palate, and nice black fruit
flavour profile. Rich, plenty of tannin, but not fat or opulent. Balanced.
Requires a decade in the cellar. 17+/20 (November 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 2001:
Moderately deep but vibrant red. This has class on the nose, with
layers of fruit. Structured and balanced on the palate, with sweet,
dark, deep-pile fruit. Correct acidity. From a
Southern Rhône 2001
tasting. 17+/20 (March 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac Cuvée Emile Peynaud (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 2001: The
inaugural vintage of this
wine. Powerful, intense, exotic black fruits on the nose. The palate is sweet
and ripe, with fine tannins and beautifully balanced acidity.
Powerful, obvious Cabernet Sauvignon, in a sweet youthful phase. Needs eight to ten years
in the cellar. Impressive stuff indeed, but what a price tag! Expect to pay in
the region of £90. 17.5+/20 (November 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac Vin de Laurence 1997: A special showing of this
wine, of which the first vintage was 1996. A captivating nose, redolent of apples, figs and
crème caramel. It has a lovely weight and presence
on the palate - it is smooth, rich and mouthfilling. Rich apple and fig
flavours. Touch of sweetness, but structured and grippy. Quite amazing. I
daren't predict a drinking window - I think this style of wine may go on for
decades. 17.5+/20 (November 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac
(Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1996: Lovely mature colour here, plenty of depth, but with a mahogany
tinge at the rim. Mature, meaty, spiced nose, with little notes of orange peel
and beef. Fine texture on entry, gently coating the palate, revealing some real
substance and extract towards the middle. Opens out to show some really fine
secondary flavours, with great balance, Still showing a masculine backbone of
tannin, but this sits beautifully with the texture and acidity. This is just
fine for drinking now, although will last superbly in the cellar for another
five years at the very least. From a
1996 vintage ten years on
tasting. 18+/20 (December 2006)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1996: A less intense
but similar red-purple hue. A somewhat medicinal nose,
with cloves and nuances of bacon. Very approachable wine,
with prominent but not problematic tannins. The medicinal
notes follow through onto the palate. Lots of fruit, with
smoky, meaty, grilled bacon notes developing on the
finish. From a 1996 Southern
Rhône & Languedoc blind tasting. 17.5+/20 (July 2001)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1992: A lovely colour
in the decanter, a nice depth but also showing some maturity. The nose is just
gorgeous; there are aromas of hot iron, violets and blood. It is beautifully
clean and has none of the more savage elements found last time which may well
have been related to Brettanomyces, a characteristic which is notoriously
variable from bottle to bottle. This has a much more pure, perfumed character.
Soft and restrained on entry, but then showing iron-bound extract in the
midpalate, and unveiling a core of tannin here also. Fresh, well focussed,
vibrantly alive wine with perhaps a little more spicy structure still evident
than my last note suggested. This bottle is eminently more impressive and there
is room here for improvement. Very good indeed. A 2007
Christmas wine. 17.5+/20 (January
2008)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1992: This is 90% Cabernet,
the balance Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Unsurprisingly it has a mature colour when poured, but it is only a thin rim
of watery-orange-pink that surrounds a wide core of colour which still holds a
lot of ruby-claret pigment and certainly has plenty of depth. The nose is
delightfully mature also, with lots of iron and blood character alongside some
more savage notes of animal fur, rather mousey and horsey notes which suggest a
trace of Brett perhaps. Rather lean on entry although there develops a little
more texture through the midpalate, but only a little. There is still some
evident structure here, although not overtly present it lends the wine an
austere feel which means it works much better with food than without. Pleasing,
mature, claretty flavour with just a little trace of rounded sweetness in the
finish to caress the palate and counterbalance that midpalate austerity. It
certainly has style, and the little twist of tannin in the finish suggests that
there is no hurry to drink up my remaining bottles. Great length too. I drank
the remainder the next day with a roasted chicken; it was perfect here, singing
beautifully, showing all its mature aromas but with its fine structure working
in perfect harmony on the palate with the food. Superb. For label images and
more see my Wine of the Week
write-up. 17+/20 (October 2006)
Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1992: A lovely mature nose, with aromas of waxy, honeyed
furniture oil. The wine maintains a fresh backdrop to the array of flavours, led
by honey, apple and honeysuckle. This wine is showing well today. Lovely. 17/20
(November 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1991: An impressive golden colour, but in a dry wine of this age one wonders
about the possibility of oxidation with such a hue. Indeed, the nose has
aromas of apple pie and toffee, with notes of madeirisation/oxidation.
Fairly flat and inexpressive on entry, with cinder toffee oxidative
notes, with a slightly bitter finish. Drinkable, interesting, but
falling apart. From a 1991
Vintage ten year on blind tasting. 16/20 (December 2001)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1991:
This wine has a deep red purple colour. A touch austere on the nose,
with plenty of black fruits with a youthful edge. The palate follows a
similar line, although it seems somewhat austere and withdrawn. There is
some stylish fruit hidden in the wings. This is a serious, styled wine,
which needs a good few years to come round yet. From a
1991 Vintage ten year on
blind tasting. 17/20 (December 2001)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1990: Quite a tawny, mahogany wine.
Raspberry fruit, with some mineral notes on the nose. Rich and peppery
fruit on the palate, with obvious tannins but good acidity. Quite spicy. From a
1990 Vintage ten year on
blind tasting. 17+/20 (August 2000)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1985: Obviously mature. Slight appley
madeirisation on
the nose - some oxidation is present. A lovely, elegant texture on the palate,
and there is still a backbone of tannin. Rich and rounded, but marred by a
little oxidation unfortunately. Still merits a score though. Having tasted this
before in September 2002 I'm certain this is just a one-off oxidised bottle. A
disappointment considering this came direct from the domaine though. Not scored.
(November 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin
de Pays de l'Herault) 1985: This has
a fantastic, youthful colour, red with a purple hue. Quite remarkable.
Sweet pastille fruit on the nose. Some hard, tarry notes. Big and muscular on
the palate, with sweet fruit, good acidity, and tannins close to full
integration. This wine will still benefit from a few more years in bottle. A
ringer in a Bordeaux 1985
blind tasting. 17/20 (September 2002)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1983:
A dark, red-mahogany coloured wine. A quite intense nose, rich with sweet, burnt, smoky fruit.
Delightfully balanced and appropriate on the palate, which still has plenty of fruit and
brilliantly fresh acidity. Meaty, chewy edge to the texture. This has great fluidity and
considerable elegance on the palate. From a
1983 Vintage twenty year
on tasting. 18/20 (April 2003)
Mas de Daumas Gassac (Vin de Pays de l'Herault) 1982:
This wine has a wonderful deep red colour, with little sign of age. A youthful appearance. There is an amazing depth of cassis fruit on
the nose, and this is reflected on the palate, which is big, structured
and almost seamless. Lovely mineral edge to the fruit, which
takes on a powerful, prune-like character. Finishes well and has a
warming length. Aimé Guibert says this vintage needs decades more of
bottle age, and on the basis of this tasting I'm not one to disagree.
From a 1982 Vintage
twenty year on blind tasting.
18/20 (April 2002)
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