Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge 2018

Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge, organic, natural, Cabernet Sauvignon, Iconic red wine. If there is a problem with the delicious wines brought forth from this natural paradise, it is that they tend to sell out pretty quickly and so the wines never reach the age they should to ensure optimum drinking and maximum expression. We have started to age a few bottles, so if you fancy some older vintages, get in touch and we will try and route some out for you. The current vintage is always still an exceptional bottle of wine, a bouquet of crushed blackberries and mulberries along with an array of smoky-leathery notes and a silky finish you can taste for several minutes. It is no exaggeration to suggest that this wine outperforms many first and second growth clarets. To finish off, a line from the current ownership………..We are not making coca-cola here – Samuel Guibert

The story of Mas de Daumas Gassac is one of vision, enterprise, passion and pride.

When the Guiberts first purchased their farm (the mas) in the charming Gassac valley they little realised that they had a particular micro-climate which would give them the potential to make great wines. A visiting professor from Bordeaux, one Henri Enjalbert, identified a particular red soil that was common to certain great estates in the Médoc and Grand Cru Burgundies. Under the thick garrigue scrub and shrubs covering the Arboussas hills, he found some 40 hectares of perfectly drained soil, poor in humus and vegetable matter, rich in mineral oxide. The terroir provides the three elements necessary for a potential Grand Cru: deep soil ensuring the vines’ roots delve deep to seek nourishment; perfectly drained soil ensuring vines’ roots are unaffected by humidity; poor soil meaning that vines have to struggle to survive, an effort which creates exceptionally fine aromas. Rock, scrub and tree clearing began in 1971 and the first vines, principally Cabernet Sauvignon, were planted on the 1.6ha plot. You only have to stand in the vineyards to engage with the subtleties of these wines. The hill is thick with garrigue; strong warm scents of wild herbs imprint themselves in the air; the quality of light is fantastic. The vines are planted in small clearings amongst a myriad of Mediterranean wild plants and herbs: bay, thyme, rosemary, lavender, laburnum, fennel, wild mint, lentisque, strawberry trees which all lend their aromas to the wine. It’s all part of the ‘terroir’ effect, a combination of soil, climate and environment that sets one wine apart from another, sadly an effect that is lost in modern monoculture, where huge areas are cleared of all vegetation except vines. At nightfall, the cold air from the Larzac floods into the Gassac valley, with the result that, even in the height of summer, the vineyards benefit from cool nights and moderate daytime temperatures. The micro-climate is a huge factor in creating the outstanding complexity and finesse of the red wines. Since the beginning, the operation has grown somewhat and they now produce a number of labels and price ranges, but the core ethos remains, and their flagship wines are still referred to as the Grand Cru of the Languedoc, whilst their 'everyday' wines represent outstanding quality for the money. It's for this reason they are one of our favourite estates.