About this WINE
Mas Des Dames
The estate of Mas des Dames dates back to 1750 and the property lies in the hills of Béziers, close to the Mediterranean Sea.
All vineyards face south on clay/limestone soil and the cooling sea breeze provides muchneeded freshness on hot summer days. The Mas des Dames Rouge from Côteaux du Languedoc appellation is a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. The wine sees no oak, its inherent richness and silky texture being the result of the quality of the fruit.
Southern Rhône Blend
The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.
The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.
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Description
The charming Lidewij Kuijper, who we shall resist burdening with any type of Flying Dutchwoman sobriquet, is quickly gaining a reputation for her excellent Coteaux de Languedoc family of wines, its vines located in the gentle hills of Murveil les Béziers.
The sub- nomenclature reflects that fact that that the entire ethos of the Domaine is dominated by the fairer sex, including of course, the elegant and feminine style of the wines themselves. The two key reds are named La Dame and… rather enticingly… La Diva…
The blend of La Dame is Syrah (40%), Grenache (40%) and Carignan (20%), its fruit is hand-picked and completely de-stemmed. The 2010 is a most cerebral beast than its hedonistic forebear, more linear in structure with brighter, more energetic acidity to lend structural integrity. Beyond the attractive nose of plum, bay and licorice, there is a spicy palate with rounded gently sweet blackberry fruit and perfectly ripe but not overbearing tannins . Ideal with venison or roasts. This Grande Dame is a Diva by any other name.
Simon Field MW, BBR Wine Buyer
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