Mas de Daumas Gassac

[tiger02]

According to my local wine guy, it's on par with "some of the best in the world," although I've never heard of the specific Chateaux he mentioned. 104,000 bottles produced in 99, the vintage I picked up as a sample.

Tasting notes later in the week.

Tom

 

[Fabienne]

It's one of the most famous French "vin de pays" (vin de pays de l'HÃ

rault), a southern MÃ

doc. It ages well, apparently.
In the end, it's a "second vin" with great quality for the value.

PS: to answer your question from another thread, I was in Princeton in the early nineties last.

 

[Fabienne]

http://www.daumas-gassac.com/gb/index.html

 

[tiger02]

Thanks Fabienne, again impressed with the depth and breadth and most importantly speed of knowledge around here. Â I'm greatly looking forward to opening this up and seeing where that 25 Euro went. Â Nice website too. Â Sounds like I'm going to hit the '99 in its 'sour spot' between years 4 and 7, at least according to the vintner. This becomes yet another stopping point on my eventual trip to southern France Â

As for the other threads, work got overwhelming for a couple of days there so I lost track. Â Princeton is one of the places that will keep me defending New Jersey until the day I die. Tom

 

[drizzt3117]

It's gotten good TNs from the ERP board, although I've never tried it myself.

 

[tiger02]

I'm sure you've explained this before, so forgive me. TNs? ERP board? If that's anything like a StyleForum for wine I'll have to check it out.

Tom

 

[drizzt3117]

TNs = Tasting Notes ERP board: http://fora.erobertparker.com WS board: http://forums.winespectator.com VC board: http://www.vinocellar.com There are a few more wine boards as well, probably 2-3 more than I am not listing, but IMO those are the most active. BTW, if you thought people here are hardcore about clothes, people on ERP are MEGA hardcore about wine... so I would probably lurk for a bit and tread softly when you start posting, they are all quite nice though...

ERP is a "real names" board.

 

[jcusey]

If that's anything like a StyleForum for wine I'll have to check it out.

The best by far is Robin Garr's Wine Lovers' Discussion Group.

 

[drizzt3117]

I've seen that one a bit, I like the ERP and WS user interfaces a bit more.

 

[Fabienne]

I'm greatly looking forward to opening this up and seeing where that 25 Euro went. Â Nice website too. Â Sounds like I'm going to hit the '99 in its 'sour spot' between years 4 and 7, at least according to the vintner. Â This becomes yet another stopping point on my eventual trip to southern France Â

I recommend you put it in a carafe for a good while, as these are typically fairly "hard" wines, but the tannins never really melt away. I don't know about the 99. They vary greatly from year to year, unlike of course the grands crus, so... But compared to other wines from the Langedoc, these certainly remain affordable. Did you wonder about the word "mas"? In Provence, it is the equivalent of a domaine, an autonomous entity producing wine. The word is in the provençal language (spoken in south-eastern France still, albeit mostly by the older generation), and originally means "country house". You get to pronounce the final "s" if you wish to sound more authentic, but north of the Loire, people usually drop it. Serve it with a typical provence dish such as baked eggplant or a provençal daube (stew with black olives) (am I twisting the knife in the wound?)

 

[Fabienne]

PS: try a red Bandol, next time.  Same region.  The grapes are mostly Mourvèdre (50%), then a combination of Grenache, Cinsaut, Syrah, Carignan, Tibouren, etc.  Nice and spicy, ripe plum. Not a heavy wine. They keep well, for a southern wine.  I discovered those on a trip to Aix en Provence some years ago.  We have a couple in our cellar.

 

[tiger02]

OK, after a little bit of a delay, I'm going to attempt a review of three vintages of this wine--any critiques of my critique are appreciated, as this is my first go at a wine rec (TN

) My wine guy has the 1999 in store, as well as the '98 and '01 versions in his reserve stock. I tried the wines in that order--'99, '98, '01. This particular wine should be drunk within the first four years to get an idea of the stronger fruits and then again after seven years, when the tannins have had a chance to soften and the alcohol subsides. '99 was quite good but in my mind not remarkable. a little sharp and thin. It was only carafe (is that right Fabienne?) for a couple of hours, which may have not been enough. '98 was nearly indistinguishable--a bit more refined but hadn't lost any of the edges of the '99 The '01 (just completed) was a bit of a revelation for me. I decanted it about six hours before drinking and i think it made a huge difference. It's obviously young with heavy wood and tannin, but softened up nicely with none of the acidity present in the older vintages. This might just be something I have to learn about wine in general and French wine specifically. The end result seemed to be a totally different wine, in need of maturation but still full bodied and well-rounded. Not going to appeal to a fruit lover the way a cab would, much more subtle and soft. Hope this means something. Tom

 

[tiger02]

PS: try a red Bandol, next time.  Same region.  The grapes are mostly Mourvèdre (50%), then a combination of Grenache, Cinsaut, Syrah, Carignan, Tibouren, etc.  Nice and spicy, ripe plum. Not a heavy wine. They keep well, for a southern wine.  I discovered those on a trip to Aix en Provence some years ago.  We have a couple in our cellar.

Sounds great but unfortunately I'm limited right now to what the guy down the street can get ahold of. I'm trying to plan a long vacation in southern France for the next time I get back from Iraq, both for wine and real estate (why in the world is it so cheap?.?. A 19th century Cathar castle on a couple of acres costs as much as a prefab on a quarter acre in the Jersey 'burbs.) I might still be convinced to live in France some day...

Tom

 

[Fabienne]

Yes, these Mas de Daumas Gassac can be ungrateful wines...
Apparently, the 1990 is spectacular, and so was the 86 (I didn't taste either).

The consensus in France is that those wines are widely overpriced. Did you get your 98 for 25 euros? If so, I'd say it was a deal.

If you can't get a bandol, try to find, from the same region:

PrieurÃ

de St Jean de BÃ

bian
Mas Jullien

 

[tiger02]

The '99 and '01 were 25 euro, the '98 was 30. So I guess a fair price? As I develop a more discerning palette, I'm enjoying the wines in this price range more.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out, thanks.

Tom