Mas Daumas Gassac Podcast

The story of Mas de Daumas Gassac reads like a fairy tale. A newlywed couple, upon learning that the farmland they have purchased happens to have the unique soil structure and microclimate of a grand cru vineyard site, sets out to produce a wine to prove it.  The resulting wines have few, if any, direct comparisons.  The red is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, but has a total of 25 varieties.  The white is primarily a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Petit Manseng and Viognier, but it contains a total of 24 varieties.  The Rosé Frizant was intially produced to quench the thirst for sparkling wine within the family, but it proved too fun and delicious not to be shared.  It is 90% Cabernet and 10% Petit Manseng.  The vines of Daumas Gassac were selected from old vineyards from some of the top wine estates of the world - they are not the common clones one finds in vineyards and nurseries today.  The estate is comprised of 63 small, organically farmed vineyards surrounded by the wild forests and garrigue of a nature preserve.  It is a winery that all students of wine eventually hear or read about - the Grand Cru of the Languedoc.  They are wines that one must taste.  We are very excited to be offering all three estate wines of Mas de Daumas Gassac by the glass for a complete tasting experience of this iconic estate.  

The above text is from Chris Deegan. If you’ve been in recently, you’ll recognize it from the red box that adorns the center page of our wine list, or the accompanying insert from our Spirits menu. Chris is a fantastic writer. After re-reading his introduction to the Gassac feature, we are absolved of feeling the need to justly convey the majestic quality of this estate. He does it for us. In short, if you are at all intrigued after reading this, we strongly encourage you to take some time and download the podcast with Chris, and Daumas Gassac owners, Samuel and Muffi Guibert. If you don’t want to listen to a riveting and informative discussion on wine, laden with brilliant stories narrated primarily in an irresistibly charming French accent, then we’ve got nothing for you. You can however, check out the photos below as a consolation prize. 

10,000 Acres of Forest


The most unusual quality of the Gassac estate is that unlike almost every other vineyard from around the world, Gassac is a series of vineyards embedded in densely wooded forest. From the perspective of economics and efficiency, this is hardly the best method for managing a vineyard. Especially when you’ve been deemed to have some of the best soil in Southern France. But as Samuel tells us, his mother was steadfast in her desire to keep the land undisturbed at all costs, so her grandkids could enjoy it in the same context. More than 40 years since she and her husband purchased the estate, that is exactly what she is getting. 3 times over, in fact. 

There are 66 Small Plots of Vines on the Estate


In the wine world, when people talk about blends, for the most part we are talking two to five different grapes. Often times these grapes are sourced from the outside. For a variety of reasons (primarily cash, consumer and climate) wineries are fairly limited in branching out from their core competency. The fact that Mas Daumas Gassac has 66 different varieties growing on their estate is unheard of. It is a testament to their soil and conviction to their vision.