Mas de Daumas Gassac

At A Glance

Location: Aniane, Languedoc, France
Founders: Véronique and Aimé Guibert
Current managers: Samuel, Roman, Gaël and Basile Guibert
Principal red variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Harvest: Manual, with vineyard sorting

The Producer

Véronique and Aimé Guibert found a farmhouse and abandoned mill in the Gassac Valley in 1970 while seeking a family home in Hérault. Bordeaux geographer Henri Enjalbert assessed the site in 1971 and identified glacial sandstone comparable to soils in the Côte d’Or.

The second Guibert generation began assuming control during the 2000s. Samuel, Roman, Gaël and Basile Guibert now manage the property. Gaël is responsible for the vines, while Samuel directs winemaking.

Place

The estate identifies 40 hectares of deep, well-drained soil rich in mineral oxides and poor in humus and plant matter. The Upper Gassac Valley has a cool microclimate corresponding to conditions at roughly 500 metres, with nighttime cold air descending from the Larzac plateau. North-facing slopes reduce summer sunshine, and flowering and the red-grape harvest occur about three weeks later than the Languedoc average.

In 1972, the Guiberts planted 17,500 uncloned Cabernet Sauvignon vines on American rootstock, using material originating in Bordeaux and Lot-et-Garonne properties. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the vineyard, with 20% planted to other varieties used in its blend. Reported yields are 35 to 40 hectolitres per hectare.

Wines

Harvesting is manual, with an initial bunch selection in the vineyard. The red wine uses destemmed grapes, a three-week maceration and several pump-overs. Two cold-water springs beneath the vat room’s stone floor provide natural cooling, while alcoholic fermentation proceeds over eight to ten days.

Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge 2023 opens with mocha, cassis and cocoa, followed by harmonious fruit and fine tannins. Its finish is velvety, powerful and smooth. From three to seven years, crisp fruit and tannins remain prominent; between seven and fourteen years, the fruit recedes and complexity emerges.

The house white-wine process includes five to ten days of skin maceration at 10°C, followed by three weeks of fermentation in stainless steel. Young Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc combines freshness and fruit with a creamy texture. After four to twelve years, Blanc 2024 is expected to develop richness, honey and crystallized-fruit notes.

Final Word

Samuel Guibert directs winemaking, and Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge goes unfiltered into one-to-seven-year-old Burgundy barrels for 12 to 15 months.

At A Glance

The Producer

Place

Wines

Final Word

Sources

Where to go next