A white that was not supposed to age...

Who said there are no wines good enough to age 15-20 years in the Languedoc? Well Mr Guibert would certainly not tell you such idiotic comments, that's for sure!

If you've seen Mondovino, you certainly know Aimé Guibert. Right after watching the movie, I loved this character, full of emotions and history. I honestly don't care to know the truth about the Mondavi affair in Aniane. What I know is I liked what transpired from Mr Guibert even if I'm conscious that there's much more to this story than what we will ever know.

Anyway, Mas Daumas Gassac, located in the Vallée d'Aniane in the Languedoc, vinified the white Daumas Gassac for the 1st time in 1986 with some Viognier, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng and Chenin Blanc as main grape varieties. The red had been released for the 1st time 8 years earlier in 1978.
It takes a lot of courage to settle in a relatively unknown region and terroir with the hope to make great wine. But it certainly paid off.

The vineyard benefit from a cool micro climate (500m altitude) with poor soil with a very good drainage.
The complexity of the white wine comes from the multitude of cepages used. If as I already mentioned, the Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, the Chenin Blanc and Viognier represents up to 90% of the wine, the remaining 10% are a patchwork of very old varietals from Madeira, Portugal, Yemen...

No machines used here of course for picking.
Macération pelliculaire at 10°C for between five and seven days, followed by fermentation in inox vats at 20/25°C for three weeks. It is then filtered through fossilised seashells before being returned to the vats.

So last Friday, we opened a 1996 Daumas Gassac Blanc.The Guibert describes the 1996 vintage as unique in the Languedoc: a tropical one. Picked from September 9 to 13th, the temperature being over 35C. The least we can say is you can totally read the vintage in the wine! A touch of RS, honey notes with hay, apricot and pear. Somehow it reminded me of a 20 years old Spatlese on the nose. Almost oily and very round, it still shows a perfect balance with enough acidity to lift the wine. Very long finish and very complex. A beautiful wine.

I have to admit that I love wines that shows the vintage, poor or good. I don't want the same wine year after year and thankfully Mas Daumas Gassac manages to integrate the millesime in their wines.