Mas de Daumas Gassac is an iconic estate in the Herault Valley and has been called the Languedoc’s first growth. Aimé Guibert bought the property from the Daumas family in the early 1970s. He was advised by a Geography professor at Bordeaux University that the area was ideal for the growing of grapes and the first vines were planted here in 1972. The first vintage was produced six years later under the guidance of renown oenologist Emile Peynaud.
The Languedoc gets very hot during the summer months but the estate has a unique micro climate. Vines are planted on north facing slopes so avoiding the extremes of day time temperatures, grapes are also cooled during the night by a cooling breeze which blows down the valley. As a consequence grapes ripen slower and harvesting is later that much of the Languedoc region.
The vines are all low yielding clones and for red the principal planting is Cabernet Sauvignon but Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Tannat, Petit Verdot and Carmenere are also grown along with some very rare varieties. For the white wine Chardonnay, Viognier, Petit Manseng and Chenin Blanc make up 90% of the planting but the remaining 10% includes some fourteen other, rare varieties.
The cellar has been built on the site of an old Gallo-Roman mill. Two natural cold water springs run underneath the foundations to produce a cool environment without the need for expensive air conditioning.
Red wines are aged in oak barrels, one seventh of which are replaced on a rolling programme each year. This means that only a small percentage of the wine sees new oak in any given year.
The tasting room is open everyday from 10.00-1200 and 14.00-18.00 except Sundays and Public Holidays. Tastings are conducted in both French and English.
The property is not easy to find using satnav, ours initially took us to the centre of Aniane. If you are heading from Gignac towards Aniane on the D32 you are looking for a right turn onto the D32E2. From here you will pick up signs to the estate which is about a 2Km drive on a road which is quite narrow in places.
Mas de Daumas Gassac. Rosé Frizant. 2018. A blend with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon from young vines. Salmon pink and crystal clear. Fresh with red fruits and some residual sweetness. Gentle carbonation. A very nice aperitif.
Mas de Daumas Gassac. 2017. A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon along with almost twenty other varieties.Black fruits, savoury, spicey, with a hint of chocolate and herbs. Has freshness but is well balanced. A great wine.
Mas de Daumas Gassac 2016. A blend with 73% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit driven with black, plummy fruit and a rich savoury spice. Elegant and complex. Excellent
Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc. 2018. Viognier 35%, Petit Manseng 22%, Chardonnay 16% and Chenin Blanc 10% with the remaining 10% mad up with fourteen other rare varieties. Peach to the front and then apricot and orange join in. The balance and texture are lovely. It is complex and has an incredibly long finish. Excellent.
Mas de Daumas Gassac. Vin de Laurence. 2011. Only made in exceptional vintages, this is only the fourth since 1997. Produced by a double fermentation, firstly with Serial grapes and then with late harvested Muscat Petit Grains. The blended wine is then aged for between 8 and 10 years in oak barrels. Sherry like with masses of sweet peach, apricot, honey and orange marmalade. The serial gives it a lovely freshness. Complex and very drinkable .Excellent.
