Vin de Pays d'Oc

Brothers Jean-Yves and Pierre-André are the sixth generation of Ournacs to produce wines here. Like other growers in the area, they have progressively replanted their vineyards over the last 15 years, replacing many traditional varieties with Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier. 
This is an extremely approachable white with a lovely varietal expression – it’s classic Chardonnay, showing green apple and citrus on the nose. The palate displays more cool fruit flavours and has a lovely creamy texture, with a refreshing, vivacious finish.
Oliver Barton, Buying Assistant, Berry Bros. & Rudd.

Isabelle has loved Cabernet Franc ever since a fact-finding mission to the Loire in 1989 ; it is no great surprise, therefore, that the blend here is dominated by this gloriously unpredictable grape (70 % Cabernet Franc, 20 % Syrah, 10% Carignan to be precise) grown on fine clays and Trias sandstone. Deeper of colour and with more obvious red and black fruit than its Loire siblings, this wine captures all the ripe benevolence of a famous harvest and has a ‘cool’ satisfying finish which is hard to resist!
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

The 2013 is a blend of 70 % Terret and 30 % Grey Grenache, farmed at impressively low yields (less than 25 hl/hr) on a limestone plateau with very stony topsoil. Vinification and elevage is carried out in 500 litre Stockinger barrels for 9 months and the resulting wine has texture and grip, floral aromatics giving way to a palate which is both smoky, crisp and richly satisfying; a good match for terrine, white meat salads or even Fusion cuisine…..
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Mas De Daumas Gassac is the brainchild of Aimé Guibert, oneologist Emile Peynaud, and geologist Henri Enjalbert.  Described famously as 'The First Growth of the Languedoc' by Hugh Johnson, Mas de Daumas, despite its flattering imitators, remains unique, primarily because its red wine is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon.

The estate planted its first vines in 1974, in the unique and gentle climate of Aniane just to the north-west of Montpellier.  Here they identified a combination of Burgundian terroir and an extraordinary micro-climate, dominated by gentle garrigue slopes and cool underground springs.  This is now considered the finest terroir in the South of France, and led to the challenge to reproduce the quality of the best Châteaux of Médoc in the Languedoc.

Many of the leading Languedoc estates have now established themselves here, but it was Mas De Daumas Gassac who pioneered the production of world-class wine in the region, and can still be considered its finest producer.

When Aimé Guibert retired the gauntlet passed to his sons Samuel and Roman, who have proved more than a match for the challenge.

Upon appearance, The 2014 Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge displays a deep ruby core with a purple hue. The dominating Cabernet Sauvignon fruit is evident on the nose with aromas of ripe blackcurrants and bramble, amongst black rose petal, smoke, and a lick of liquorice. An immediate richness of black fruit greets you on the palate, which is carried through to the back of the mouth across a velvety texture. All components are working together, the tannins are long and fine yet providing a neat framework, alcohol is modestly low and allows the purity of the blackcurrant and red plum fruit to shine through, balanced with a cleansing acidity. Leaving a clean and lasting finish with a touch of bitter chocolate. 13% alcohol. Drinking 2017 – 2022+.
Chris Lamb, Private Account Manager

The magic of Eloi Durbach’s Mediterranean vineyard stems not only from the natural beauty of the Beaux-de-Provence setting, with its gentle rolling hills and aromas of scrub, thyme and rosemary, not only from its romantic genesis and on-going connections with the bohemian world of painting and sculpture, but also from the simple philosophy which has informed the winemaking itself. Eschewing the dictates of Appellation Contrôleé and no friend of techniques such as destemming, filtration or the use of cultured yeasts, Eloi has ploughed on ( probably with a horse) and built a reputation for this wonderful wine with labels drawn by his late father, each subtly different , each designed to capture something of the essence of the vintage in question.

A propos, the 2010 is an outstanding example and therefore logically will merit a label which captures the colours and contours of a perfect season. The wine repays the compliment; the blend is divided equally between Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, the former lending an elegant Palladian structure, the later bright arboreal colour…..or in wine speak, firm but finely-etched tannins and a measured density of fruit, with blackberry and black cherry to the fore, and behind that hints of bay laurel and distant autumnal bonfires. The achievement of interloping Cabernet Sauvignon into these warm Provençal vineyards has been significant, and has no better illustration than the 2010 vintage.

Domaine de Trévallon is located in the medieval town of Les Baux-de-Provence, 30km due south of Avignon, relatively close to the Southern Rhône, but, whereas Châteauneuf-du-Pape glories in heady Grenache and brooding Mourvèdre, Trévallon is an equal partnership of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Cabernet has found a natural homestead in the relative altitude of the slopes of the Alpilles, its generous black fruit core held in counterpoint by the purity and focus of the Syrah.

An idiosyncratic wine, with mint, dark chocolate, eucalyptus, and ripe blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf on the nose. The palate is superbly balanced, with reams of ripe cassis fruit, full-bodied, but fresh and lively. It has a precision and elegance one would not expect from a Southern French wine. The tannins are ripe and chalky, which is a nice foil to the ripe fruit palate.

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)

“Trévallon Rouge always has similarities in structure and finesse to the finer wines of the Médoc whilst holding resonance with the dense, dark wines of the Northern Rhône.  2011 is no different, with the Rhone aspect holding a stronger hold over the palate at the moment.  Rich and exuberant red and black fruit vie for attention through the front of the palate.  A distinctive white pepper lifts the mid palate before a focussed, linear finish.  This wine is refreshing and appealing now, but will surely benefit from a further two years in the cellar and can be enjoyed over the following ten.”
(Gary Owen - Fine Wine Department - 29-Nov-2012)

All wines are unique but some are more unique than others. Domaine Gauby’s La Roque Blanc has few peers among the white wines of Roussillon or anywhere else. Whole bunches of Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains and Muscat of Alexandria macerate for between ten and twenty days – an eternity in the context of white winemaking. Fermentation relies exclusively on indigenous yeasts.
The result is an astonishing array of aromas, including honeysuckle, orange blossom and fresh lemons; honed to a long, precise finish.
Will Heslop - Buying Department

A gorgeous biodynamic wine, an even split of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 2 years in a combination of foudre and barrel. Seamless, elegant and layered, with fabulous cassis, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf and spice, this full-bodied beauty is perfectly balanced, with no hard edges, fine tannin and terrific length. Drink now, it has the concentration and balance to continue to evolve gracefully for at least another decade.
94/100 Jeb Dunnuck eRobertParker.com #216 Jan 2015

What is so special about the 2007 and how can one possibly tell at such an early stage? These wines are, after all, the ne plus ulta of vins de garde, their longevity fed by the sinewy yet silky Cab. Sauvignon tannins and an undertow of spice, mineral and dark, dark fruit. All these are present and correct, but it is the sheer quality of fruit that is even more manifest than usual, its beguiling and seductive sweetness now in a youthful stand-off with the darker deeper notes, but promising more by way of complexity and potential than we have the right to expect at this stage. This is the signature of a great estate in a superlative vintage.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)