Vin de Pays d'Oc

Gérard Gauby is the extremely well-respected vigneron who oversees the winemaking at this domaine. This estate is considered one of the most exciting and high performing wineries in France and Gérard has spent a long time studying his local terroir, planting and then replanting different grape varieties and also planting trees around his vineyard to protect from the wind and drought. This white, made from a blend of Maccabeu, Grenache Blanc, Carignan Blanc, Grenache Gris and Chardonnay (some of which is matured in barrel) is positively ethereal. The blend gives an array of fruit from citrus, through apple and pear to peach, all in balance with its lovely freshness – which Gérard believes comes from the mineral composition of the soil but which is surely helped by the high altitude of his vineyard. The wine is delicate and dainty with a long mineral finish which makes it incredibly easy to drink, while its acidity and complexity make it a fine match for most fresh water or sea fish dishes. 
Oliver Barton, Wine Buyer

This cuvée is made from Carignan, Syrah and Grenache fruit from old vines which are farmed biodynamically and planted high in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The high altitude allows the fruit to retain a lovely freshness which gives this wine finesse and elegance. Made using minimum amounts of sulphur, this red has plenty of ripe blackcurrant and red berry fruit which sit alongside leather, thyme and a subtle “animal note”, which is present enough to give complexity without overwhelming the palate as some natural wines can do. Aged at the domaine, this is ready for drinking, although it will mature very gracefully should one wish to keep it for a while.
Oliver Barton, Wine Buyer

This terroir driven Red from the rebellious and characterful southern French winemaker Gerard Gauby is packed full of dark bramble fruit and earthy spices on the nose. The palate reveals more ripe fruit with an elegant floral lift and cool mineral notes on the long finish. Big rich and structured this wine drinks well in its youth but with reward patient cellaring. Drink 2019 – 2030.

The white wine of Mas de Daumas Gassac is a blend of mainly Chardonnay, Viognier and Petit Manseng; the wine is beautifully perfumed, a hymn of white flowers and peach kernels; then the palate, textured and rich, wonderfully expressive and seamlessly constructed.

The domaine of Mas de Daumas Gassac, famously described as' The First Growth of the Languedoc' by no less a luminary than Hugh Johnson , is located just to the north-west of Montpellier.The advice given in 1972 to the owner Aimé Guibert by geologist Henri Enjalbert and Bordeaux oenologist Emile Peynaud, was that both the soils and the climate here were perfect to reproduce the outstanding quality of the wines of the Médoc and in particular to the cultivation of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, hitherto a virtual stranger this far East. History has proved them to be correct!

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.

‘Old vines’ is a somewhat nebulous term, but the Carignan vines that provide 35% of this blend are unequivocally long in the tooth – planted up to 125 years ago. The remainder of the blend is Grenache (a mere 55 years-old), Mourvèdre and Syrah, which have been cultivated bio-dynamically since 2001. Like all the domain’s wines, Vieilles Vignes Rouge is bottled un-fined and unfiltered in order to capture as much as possible of its exceptional provenance.
The 2012 is redolent of the hillsides of Roussillon: aromas of garrigue and fresh black fruit. Black fruit dominates the palate, supported by firm tannins. The finish is long and confident.
Will Heslop - Buying Department

2009 in the South of France was almost perfect for the vines; the early rain providing energy and fuel, the mid-summer temperatures engendering complexity through their diversity and the late season warmth ensuring a happy coincidence of phenolic and fruit ripeness. Trevallon provides a magnificent illustration of this benevolence, all the more so because the marriage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah requires very specific conditions, with sufficient warmth to ripen the Cabernet skins but diurnal patterns through the season to allow the Syrah to shine through with pellucid purity. The wine succeeds admirably, with the roundhead Cabernet providing a sober framework and the more cavalier Syrah broadening the mouth-feel, harnessing the sweetness and lifting the mood.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

“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)

2011 was relatively-speaking a cooler year in the Aniane Valley, and the wine has greater freshness than sometimes, greater purity and perhaps a greater sense of terroir. The fruit ripened nicely, if later, and the tannins are finely drawn, not for a moment forsaking the virtues of balance, structure and length. Small grapes with thick skins are reliable qualitative precursors, it seems.
 
The Cabernet dominates, as always, with the supporting cast made up of Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Pinot Noir, Neboilo, Dolcetto and Tempranillo to name but a few. Peonies, wild berries, sousbois and spice (the wines has seen 16 months of new barrique) are the dominant notes at present; but the precise descriptors will evolve as much as the wine over time, taking on even greater complexity and harmony.
Simon Field MW, Berrys' Southern France Buyer


The dominant Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend leads to lovely rich dark fruits and a pleasing sense of style. However, for me the real interest comes from the other varietals that are blended with this, they add real interest to the palate, with meaty, smoky characters coming through and a powerful structure that clearly indicates this will age very well indeed. Mas de Daumas Gassac is a wine with a big reputation and in 2011 it clearly demonstrates why it is in such demand!
Matthew Tipping, Fine Wine Sales Manager - 29-Nov-2012

Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 80% of the blend, the balance an intriguing combination of indigenous varieties, such as Grenache and Cinsault, and those seldom found in France, let alone the Languedoc, such as Tempranillo and Nebbiolo.
 
The parcels are vinified separately, then afforded generous elevage of 14 months in barriques, some of which are new. The 2010 has a deep, plummy colour and a beguiling nose of smoked meat, ripe damson and hints of wood smoke, with a gentle herbal backdrop adding interest. The palate is, not unsurprisingly given the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, somewhat closed, the ripeness evidenced on the nose hitherto marginalised in the name of a serious vin de garde in the making. All well and good; the hints of herb have yielded a pleasing pot pourri of flavour, with firm acidity and a good but not overbearing level of alcohol respectful of the vintage conditions in a year when the summer was not intolerably hot, but the Autumn was long and pleasing. A most promising and pleasing Gassac; the children are now finally making wine in the style of father Aimé and the father is very satisfied with the results.
Simon Field MW, Berrys' Southern France Buyer

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)

The old vines in question here are made up of 40% Grenache, 30% Carignan, 10% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah and their ages range from 25 to over 100 years. The wine is fermented in large concreter vat and matured in foudre for fifteen months.

2011 was a cooler year than some and the wine has silky composure, fine balanced acidity and impressive length.

Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer