Mas de Daumas Gassac is a French wine producer 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 Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...

, 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 Times'' to taste like a "

Latour Latour may refer to: People * LaTour, American musician Surname * House of Baillet ** Alfred de Baillet Latour (1901–1980), **Henri de Baillet-Latour (1876–1942), Belgian aristocrat and the third president of the International Olympic Comm ...

" and by the French gastronomic guide ''

GaultMillau Gault et Millau is a French restaurant guide. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. Points system Gault Millau rates on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. Restaurants given below 10 poin ...

'' as the " Lafite Rothschild of the Languedoc-Roussillon", it is frequently referred to as the ''Grand cru of the Languedoc''.

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 Henri Enjalbert (1910 – June 19, 1983) was a French professor of geography at the University of Bordeaux. He was considered an eminent specialist in wine geology, whose expert opinion frequently overlapped into the fields of oenology, and win ...

, 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 Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

Émile Peynaud Émile Peynaud (June 29, 1912 – July 18, 2004) was a French oenologist and researcher who has been credited with revolutionizing winemaking in the latter half of the 20th century, and has been called "the forefather of modern oenology". Biogr ...

. 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.winepros.com.au. Aimé Guibert has since featured in the documentary film '' Mondovino'', stating that "wine is dead".

Moulin de Gassac

The estate also fronts a neighbouring cooperative label producing a wide range of products such as various blended and varietal wines, as well as spirits, balsamic vinegar, and an oil that is the blend of extra virgin olive oil and grape seed oil.

Production

Over 50 hectares are cultivated in smaller plots dispersed throughout the estate, consisting predominantly of

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

, while other grape varieties include

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

, Tannat, as well as Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. The white varieties are mostly

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...

and Petit Manseng, but also Marsanne,

Roussane Roussanne is a white wine grape grown originally in the Rhône wine region in France, where it is often blended with Marsanne. It is the only other white variety, besides Marsanne, allowed in the northern Rhône appellations of Crozes-Hermitage A ...

, Chenin blanc,

Sercial Sercial is the name of a white grape grown in Portugal, especially on the island of Madeira. It has given name to the dryest of the four classic varieties of Madeira fortified wine.winepros.com.au. The grape is grown in diminishing quantities ...

, and Muscat. The red ''Grand vin'' Mas de Daumas Gassac has an annual production of 120,000 to 150,000 bottles. In addition the estate produces a dry white Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, 45,000 to 60,000 bottles annually, a Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant -a sparkling

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...

, 8,000 to 12,000 bottles annually, and a ''cuvée exception'' named Émile Peynaud with a production of 2,000 bottles.

References

External links

Mas de Daumas Gassac official site

Crimson Aroma Newsletter {{coord, 43.662, 3.591, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Wineries of France Hérault