Daumas Gassac

When Languedoc pioneer Aime Guibert planted his first vines in 1972 and crushed the first Mas Daumas Gassac red in 1978, he was convinced that, improbable though it must have seemed to virtually any other observer at the time, his property and wine would gain worldwide renown. And it did. But a lot of even less predictable changes including grands vins have come to the Languedoc in the last thirty years which Guibert never imagined. Today, the property his children help him to farm has spawned a few experimental cuvees and a parallel line of inexpensive wines from purchased grapes (under the umbrella “Moulin de Gassac,” with several labels), but the flagships remain a Cabernet-based red and (since 1986) a white consisting of Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Chenin Blanc, and (up to 20%) grapes from a multi-national collection of varieties more diverse than you would find in many a commercial vine nursery. As such, it cannot be said that any other Languedoc growers of note have followed Guibert’s lead in blend or style. These wines appear destined to remain anomalies, while the reputation of the Terraces du Larzac area and the Languedoc as a whole has risen to prominence thanks to a focus on Mediterranean varieties and a style far removed from the “classic Medoc vinification” that Guibert still advertises and that his early mentor the famed Emile Peynaud had in mind. Ironically, the tag line used in Guibert’s promo materials is “Wine as it used to be” (Un vin comme autrefois). DAVID SCHILDKNECHT, The Wine Advocate

The visit to Daumas Gassac was one of the highlights of my trip to France in April and this remote property is home to some of the most spectacular vineyards I have seen. Founded in 1972 by Amie Guibert Daumas Gassac was a created with a vision; to produce unique quality wine in a region where the wine production was predominately in bulk for cheap local consumption. The Mas Daumas Gassac estate achieved that vision and is now managed by the 2nd generation with Samuel, the eldest of 5 brothers, overseeing the winemaking.

The vineyard plantings range in altitude between 250 meters and 900 meters above sea level and are spread over the hills and valleys of the Gassac River. The 60 hectares of vineyard plantings of over 43 varieties are embedded in stone and limestone on steep inclinations scattered throughout the hills and valleys of the property. The combination of vineyard elevation and the moderating effects of the Gassac River a guarantee cool and stable climate with warm days and cold nights, limiting the heat of the Languedoc and ensuring less climatic variations between vintages  than more marginal regions. The winery itself is a magnificently converted Gallo Roman well, where almost all aspects of vinification are done by hand. The winery is gravity fed with minimal intervention and Samuel, the eldest of the Amie Giubert's sons, having a minimal interventionist philosophy in the cellar.

The wines produced from these spectacular vineyards are totally unique. The Languedoc is a new appellation and as such outside the AOC laws granting the Guibert family greater flexibility in viticulture, allowing all the varieties to be harvested together in a 'field blend' picked together. The white varieties, the majority of which are a combination of Chardonnay, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Petite Manseng is pressed then left for a long skin contact maceration of 4-7 days with the juice being pumped over the skins before fermentation. Samuel argues the oxidative handling prior to fermentation ensures the freshness of the wine after fermentation. After the juice has settled the wines are fermented in Stainless steel, without malolacti