Mas de Daumas Gassac
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Mas de Daumas Gassac is a French wine from the wine region Languedoc, classified as Vin de Pays de l'Hérault due to its use of grape varieties outside specifications of its AOC. The winery, producing both white and red wine, is located in the south of France, in the commune of Aniane. Despite its modest designation and location, the vineyard has received widespread acknowledgement, described by the The Times to taste like a “Latour” and by the French magazine Gault-Milau as the "Lafite Rothschild of the Languedoc-Roussillon", it is frequently referred to as the Grand Cru of the Languedoc.[1][2]
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[edit] History
On land sold by the Daumas family to a former glove manufacturer Aimé Guibert, wines were first planted at this vineyard in 1974. Following the recommendation of Henri Enjalbert, a professor of Geography at the University of Bordeaux, whose assessment of the terroir determined the microclimate to be uncharacteristically favourable for cultivation of wine in such a warm region, the first vintage was produced in 1978 with the assistance of the oenologist Émile Peynaud.[3][4]
Mas de Daumas Gassac came to be seen as the first to prove that a French non-appellation wine (as simply labelled Vin de Pays de l'Hérault) may be an extremely serious, long-living red wine able to fetch prices similar to a Bordeaux classed growth.[5]
Aimé Guibert has since featured in the documentary film Mondovino, stating that "wine is dead".[6][7]
[edit] Moulin de Gassac
The estate also fronts a neighbouring cooperative label producing a wide range of blended and varietal wine, as well as spirits, vinegar and olive oil.
[edit] Production
Some 30 hectares are cultivated in smaller plots dispursed throughout the estate, consisting predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon, while other grape varieties include Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Tannat, as well as Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. The white varieties are mostly Chardonnay, Viognier and Petit Manseng, but also Marsanne, Roussane, Chenin Blanc, Sercial, and Muscat.[3]
In addition to the red Grand vin Mas de Daumas Gassac, the estate produces the white Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, a super-cuvée named Emile Peynaud, and Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant, a sparkling rosé.
[edit] References
- ^ Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. Mas de Daumas Gassac 1992.
- ^ Broadbent-wines.com. Mas de Daumas Gassac-brief.
- ^ a b Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.com. Mas de Daumas Gassac.
- ^ Broadbent-wines.com. Mas de Daumas Gassac.
- ^ winepros.com.au. Oxford Companion to Wine. Mas.
- ^ Atkin, Tim, The Guardian (November 7, 2004). Poetry has its place but science is king.
- ^ Steinberger, Mike, Slate (March 9, 2005). A Fahrenheit 9/11 for Oenophiles.
[edit] External links
- Mas de Daumas Gassac official site (French) (English)
- Samuel Guibert Interview Crimson Aroma Newsletter
