Digging up a Languedoc Treasure: Mas de Daumas Gassac 1978-2022

BY NICOLAS GREINACHER | JULY 24, 2024

With over 200,000 hectares under vine, Southern France’s Languedoc region has more area dedicated to viticulture than Australia or Chile alone. Roughly 60% of its total production is controlled by co-operatives, and the vast majority of all wines are labeled without geographical indication. While boatloads of inexpensive bulk wines dominate, the region does have a select group of ambitious producers like Château Puech-Haut, La Grange des Pères and Mas de Daumas Gassac that have pushed their juices into premium categories.

Twenty-seven vintages of the red Mas de Daumas Gassac all lined up.

Every ten years, Languedoc’s Mas de Daumas Gassac organizes a vertical of their reds at the winery going back to the inaugural 1978 vintage. On this occasion, the winery presented 27 vintages of their flagship red, an incredible opportunity to examine the wines under the magnifying glass. Within the context of a warm Mediterranean climate, Cabernet Sauvignon is the principal variety here. Yes, the same combination applies to hundreds of other Cabernets grown, for example, in California, Stellenbosch or Bolgheri. While most such wines are single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, some are blended with Merlot, Malbec or Cabernet Franc.

This takes me right to the point of why the Mas de Daumas Gassac wines deserve a closer look. Alongside the roughly 60 to 80% of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the occasional Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, they contain additional varieties that readers would normally not expect to find in their Cabernets: Pinot Noir, Syrah and Tannat are almost always part of the blend, and so are other varieties such as Montepulciano, Carménère or Tempranillo. Combined with all the white varieties that go into the Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, around 50 individual grape varieties are cultivated and used in these wines. Before this article sheds some light on how this varietal frenzy translates into the quality found in the glass, let’s first take a brief detour in both vineyard and cellar.

Exploring the vineyards with brothers Basile (left) and Samuel Guibert (right).

Focusing on Viticulture

The estate's 53 hectares of vineyards are a mosaic of 70 individual parcels. Soil types vary with different limestone, sand and clay contents, whereas the most cherished Cabernet Sauvignon parcels grow on red glacial deposits. Plantings of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir are up next, alongside an array of Italian and other international varieties. When deciding where to plant different grape varieties, elevation and exposure play critical roles. For Cabernet Sauvignon, areas are chosen that help prevent the grapes from reaching excessively high alcohol levels. That said, each plot is assessed for its potential risks and benefits, with no single truth guiding the decisions.

The climate in the Languedoc region poses significant challenges, with recent years marked by severe droughts. As a result, specific rootstocks such as 110 Richter are preferred these days as they are essential for surviving minimal water conditions. In the experience here, the 41 B Millardet et de Grasset, which was frequently used in the past, struggles during arid conditions. Maintaining soil health is another critical focus. At Mas de Daumas Gassac, the vineyard team cultivates cover crops, using a mix of legumes and grasses to enhance soil structure and fertility. Cover crops are planted in every row of young vines and alternate rows in established plots.

Walking through these scattered vineyard plots shows abundant hedges and trees that are all part of 150 hectares of woodlands. According to the viticultural team, the beneficial fungi (mycorrhiza) in the soil from these trees contribute to a more balanced water retention. In summer 2023, for example, when they faced extreme drought, the vines not surrounded by forests started to turn pale and greyish, whereas the vines closer to woodlands appeared more resilient. Hence, there is an agroforestry policy here to protect the hedges and trees and to maintain individual vineyards in specific clusters. Planting densities are roughly 4,500 vines per hectare, facilitating mechanization during the growing season yet limiting competition for water. Come harvest, all grapes are 100% hand-picked and almost always entirely destemmed, whereas occasionally, up to around 10% of stems are used for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Red glacial deposits are some of the many soil elements found here.

What Happens in the Cellar

All Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are fermented together with one exception: every year, some of the fruit from a specific vineyard parcel called Peyrafioc–located right beside the winery–is harvested last and vinified separately. If the wine shows distinctive attributes that separate it from the other Cabernet Sauvignon parcels, the Cuvée Emile Peynaud is produced (so far in 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2015 and 2020). In all other vintages going back to 1978, the Cabernet Sauvignon from this parcel also ended up in the red Mas de Daumas Gassac. All the other varieties are vinified in one large co-fermentation before their juice is blended to the macerating Cabernet Sauvignon post-fermentation. Total skin contact for the non-Cabernets varieties is around 10-12 days, while for Cabernet Sauvignon, it is usually 14-28 days.

During fermentation, which relies on indigenous yeasts, pumpovers occur twice daily for roughly 20 minutes, whereas towards the end, this time is reduced to 10 minutes for gentler extraction. There are no more pump-overs after fermentation is completed. Aging takes 12 to 15 months in 225-liter French oak barriques (1st through 7th fill with a little over 10% new oak proportion). Meanwhile, the cellar team is conducting experiments with amphora vessels, but the results aren’t convincing, particularly for the reds. Following oak maturation, the wines are racked back into large stainless steel tanks, settling for up to two months before bottling. Due to Cabernet Sauvignon's high level of natural acidity, acidification is generally unnecessary. Since 1978, alcohol levels have ranged between 12 and 13.5%, and only during the last decade they occasionally went up to 14%.

The 225-liter French oak barrels lined up in the maturation cellar.

Assessing the Wines

Even though Cabernet Sauvignon is the principal variety here, these wines don’t scream Cabernet from the glass. What they do scream of is complexity to a degree that can be beguiling. When young, the wines can express a hauntingly floral lift combined with herbal elements and spicy undertones. In the 2015, I even picked up some lemongrass. The oak is generally well-integrated, and the tannins are ripe and polished. Freshness is widely preserved, and although complex, these are not overly intellectual wines, as they jump at you right away.

Notwithstanding the wines can be enjoyed right after release in their primary stage, the real value is exposed after around a decade of aging, depending on the vintage. When opening an aged Mas de Daumas Gassac, expect distinctively savory elements such as tobacco, dried herbs or earthy gradations. While the promising 2011 benefits from more time in the cellar, the inviting 2012 is at the beginning of its broad drinking window. The expressive 1998 remains at its peak, while the overly rustic 1994 and 1997 have their best days behind them.

Mas de Daumas Gassac enjoyed a strong qualitative streak in the 1980s.

The seductive 1985 still sings loud and clear, while the inaugural 1978 is past its prime. Looking at the individual periods, this vertical unearthed a strong qualitative streak in the 1980s, a little less consistency in the 1990s, and an improvement during the new millennium. And while the 2016, 2010 and 2001 rank alongside the very finest Mas de Daumas Gassac vintages, the delicious 2020 is in hot pursuit.

Because of the work of wineries such as Mas de Daumas Gassac, Languedoc demonstrates that its terroir can produce much more than just large volumes of bulk wines for supermarket shelves. If you enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines with a little aromatic twist, Mas de Daumas Gassac should be on your radar. What sets these wines apart from most, though, is their proven track record for extended bottle aging over several decades. This is the main takeaway from this tasting.

I tasted all the wines in June 2024 at the winery.

© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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