2007 Mas de Daumas Gassac, Rouge, Pays d'Herault, Languedoc
Critics reviews
David Schildknecht - 30/06/2009
About this WINE
Mas de Daumas Gassac
Famously described as the ‘First Growth of the Languedoc’, Mas De Daumas Gassac remains unique in the region.
The world-famous red is an intriguing blend of Cabernet Sauvignon along with a mix of indigenous and more unusual varieties from the south of France, such as Grenache, Cinsualt and Tempranillo. Mas De Daumas Gassac Blanc is a similarly fascinating blend of grape varieties, with Chardonnay and Viognier taking centre stage. Lauded across the wine world, not for nothing is this Domaine named the Lafite of the Languedoc.
VdP de l'Herault
Hérault is a Vin de Pays (Départementaux) French wine appellation, that encompasses vineyard area from the eponymous Hérault department in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon. Hérault is surrounded by the departments of Aude, Tarn, Aveyron, Gard, and the Mediterranean sea on the south.
The reputation of Hérault received its biggest boost by the success of the wine domaine Mas de Daumas Gassac, located to the north of Montpellier. Aimé Guibert, the founder of the domaine, planted an eccentric mixture of vines on fine, volcanic soil that was identified by oneologist Emile Peynaud to be capable of producing wines of Cru standard.
Plots of lands like this are rare in Hérault, but the ever-improving wine-making and the proliferation of international varieties deliver wines of excellent quality that compare very well with the DO appellation wines nearby. Syrah, Cab. Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache are the dominant red wine grapes, while Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Marsanne and Viogner are the main white varietals.
Recommended Producers:
Mas de Daumas Gassac, Mas Conscience
Other Varieties
There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.
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Description
The 2007 Mas de Daumas Gassac red includes a combined total of around 20% Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec, and Tannat, and a 10% mixture (like its white counterpart) of assorted, at times exotic varieties. A rather reductive overlay to a nose initially dominated by pungent herbs and smoked meats blows off to reveal mulberry, huckleberry, cedar, iodine, and white pepper. In the mouth, this is firmly textured, juicy, bright, and somewhat youthfully tart and angular. Wet stone undertones add to a sense of austerity, but the wine’s energetic brightness and focused black fruits gain the upper hand in a surprisingly refreshing finish. I don’t perceive this as achieving much richness, but it is likely to become more interesting while retaining its kinetic personality for at least 6-8 years.
When Languedoc pioneer Aime Guibert planted his first vines in 1972 and crushed his first Mas Daumas Gassac red in 1978, he was convinced that, improbable though it must have seemed to virtually any other observer at the time, his property and wine would gain worldwide renown. And it did. But a lot of even less predictable changes including grands vins have come to the Languedoc in the last thirty years which Guibert never imagined.
Today, the property his children help him to farm has spawned a few experimental cuvees and a parallel line of inexpensive wines from purchased grapes (under the umbrella “Moulin de Gassac,” with several labels), but the flagships remain a Cabernet-based red and (since 1986) a white consisting of Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Chenin Blanc, and (up to 20%) grapes from a multi-national collection of varieties more diverse than you would find in many a commercial vine nursery.
(David Schildknecht - Wine Advocate - Jun 2009)
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