2021 Mas de Daumas Gassac, Rouge, St Guilhem-le-Désert Cité d'Aniane, Languedoc
Critics reviews
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Pinot Noir, 2% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Tannat, 2% Cabernet Franc, 3% rare varieties (Abouriou, Nielluccio, Montepulciano, Saperavi, Carmenère, Tempranillo). 50% is aged in oak barrels, only one in seven new, and the balance is in stainless steel. Total barrel ageing between 8 and 13 months.
Fairly transparent garnet. Again, that leather element in an aroma that’s a bit more muted than the 2023. The tannins and acidity are more pronounced, too. Perhaps it’s just going through a dumb phase? I’d definitely wait before broaching this. Affected by a relatively cool growing season?
Drink 2026 - 2036
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (June 2024)
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Pinot Noir, 2% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Tannat and 3% rare varieties.
Dark berries, leather, pencil lead, roasted meat, dried herbs, bell peppers, cumin, bay leaves and some stones. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and crisp acidity, yet it has more intensity to deliver on the mid-palate. It’s poised with a restrained power. Harmonious and agile with great balance and vitality. Long, crunchy and developing finish.
Try after 2026
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (August 2023)
The elegant 2021 Rouge offers discrete raspberry and violet alongside rustic and leafy undertones. Sporting less flavour concentration and overall intensity compared to the surrounding vintages, 2021 is a delicate and laid-back Mas de Daumas Gassac that shouldn’t take too long to come around.
Drink 2027 - 2038
Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous.com (July 2024)
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.
IGP Pays d'Hérault
IGP Pays d’Hérault is a geographical indication encompassing vineyards within the Hérault department in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region. Bordered by the Aude, Tarn, Aveyron, and Gard departments and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, it benefits from a Mediterranean climate ideal for diverse grape varieties.
The region gained international recognition thanks to Mas de Daumas Gassac, located north of Montpellier. Its founder, Aimé Guibert, planted a unique mix of vines on volcanic soil, which oenologist Emile Peynaud identified as being capable of producing Cru-standard wines.
While exceptional terroirs like this are rare in Hérault, improvements in winemaking and the use of international grape varieties have elevated the region’s reputation. Dominant red grapes include Syrah, Cabernet. Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache are the dominant red wine grapes, while Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Marsanne and Viogner are the main white varietals.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Pinot Noir, 2% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Tannat, 2% Cabernet Franc, 3% rare varieties (Abouriou, Nielluccio, Montepulciano, Saperavi, Carmenère, Tempranillo). 50% is aged in oak barrels, only one in seven new, and the balance is in stainless steel. Total barrel ageing between 8 and 13 months.
Fairly transparent garnet. Again, that leather element in an aroma that’s a bit more muted than the 2023. The tannins and acidity are more pronounced, too. Perhaps it’s just going through a dumb phase? I’d definitely wait before broaching this. Affected by a relatively cool growing season?
Drink 2026 - 2036
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (June 2024)
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