2015 Mas de Daumas Gassac, Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert Blanc, Languedoc, France.
Samuel Guibert’s Gassac Blanc 2015 is one of the best I’ve tasted, it’s an iconic wine full of character, terroir and gorgeous detail with lush opulence and surprising vitality and grace. This vintage of the Mas de Maumas Grand Vin Blanc is formed of Petit Manseng, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay mostly along with a about 15% of 17 other varietals that add zesty snap and interesting background elements to the main thrust of the core grapes. The Blanc is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to keep it vibrant and fresh and I noticed they did leave the wine on the skins for almost a week, which has added a sense of tannin or vigor which really lifts this full bodied wine and allows a powerful mouth feel and poise, this is impressive stuff, no wood needed on this at all. A pale golden hue greats you in the glass and a bright nose of stone fruit, mineral and honeysuckle lifts subtlety in a refrained perfume leading to a vivid and succulent palate of peach, tangerine, lemon/lime and wild apricot along with salty stones, ginger spice, steely liquid mineral as well as dried pineapple, grilled grapefruit, hints of honey, almond/hazelnut and fleshy melon. This focused and textured white is exotic and flamboyant, but thankfully not cloying or chunky, expressing the warm of the vintage without dull sweetness, this is beautifully judged stuff with verve and stylistic flair. If you want to blow your white Burgundy loving friends minds there are three wines you must introduce them to, Luis Rodriguez’s Ribeiro Blanco from Galicia Spain, the Sadie Family white blends from South Africa and this amazing Mas de Daumas Blanc!
($48 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive
