MAS DE DAUMAS GASSAC rouge 2023

Very long, balanced, mellow, and supple, the 2023 IGP Saint-Guilhem-Le-Désert Cité D’Aniane Blanc reveals a floral, fruity, and expressive bouquet, with notes of peach, honey, garrigue flowers, bitter almond, and elderflower. Playful and complex, it effortlessly combines pleasure and character, with a subtle bitterness that adds a touch of freshness on the finish. A superb white wine for cellaring, it’s delicate, juicy, and generous, with astonishing elegance. Drink 2025-2040. For over thirty years, Mas de Daumas Gassac has been one of the most prominent estates in Languedoc. Located in the Terrasses du Larzac region, it was founded in 1971 by Véronique Guibert and her husband Aimé, when the couple fell in love with an old, abandoned farmhouse in the Gassac valley, near the former Aniane Abbey. Contrary to the trends of the time, they planted Cabernet Sauvignon from an old mass selection, and although half of the first production of nearly 20,000 bottles in 1978 was still distributed to friends, things quickly changed. By 1982, the estate had gained recognition that has only grown since then, to the point where today the bottles are quite difficult to find. Until 1985, they only produced red wine, and in 1986, white wine was added to their range. The generational change in the 2000s did nothing to alter the success and quality of the wines, although the range expanded and the vineyard grew. The vineyard is now planted not only with Cabernet Sauvignon, but also with local and foreign grape varieties, with the distinctive feature that the vines are all mass-selected from old, uncloned vines. But the most distinctive feature of the estate is, of course, its wines. The reds show great finesse, and one could almost say that, despite the strong presence of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, they have a lightness reminiscent of Pinot Noir. As for the whites, this year they stole the show from the reds, verging on perfection with their drinkability and aging potential, complexity, and pleasure. While these wines are certainly not cheap, in my opinion they are well worth the price.

The 2023 Rouge is outstanding, soaring from the glass with pronounced notes of blackcurrant leaf, dried lavender, ripe blackberry, black plum and fresh violet. Blackcurrant pastille adds extra lift and aromatic breadth. Medium- to full-bodied and shaped by refined tannins, the 2023 is a beautifully judged wine that carries its freshness and verve effortlessly through the long finish. Very much at the level of the equally enchanting 2022, this is a bottle to watch closely. I would not be surprised if it never truly closes down, and I highly recommend opening a first bottle now to enjoy the sheer pleasure of its primary fruit.

On the nose this displays dark cherries, spiced plums, dried herbs, earth, forest floor and a hint of wild strawberries. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Refined texture and balance, showing berries and gentle spices on the palate. Flavorful finish with length. 75% cabernet sauvignon and smaller amounts of several other red grapes. Drink or hold.