From a Languedoc original, Mas de Daumas Gassac, now run by the second generation Guibert family who have expanded the range to include lower prices and the immediately approachable. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a little bit of Syrah and it’s the Cabernet that shows. Chewy, generous and blackcurrant flavoured with a note of almost Bordelaise gravel. Not complex but holds out all the way through with a ripe chunk of tannin and acid. A level of fruit quality above some large production Southern French stuff with a some phrygana notes. Valid synonym for garrigue or scrubby shrubbery it seems.
13.50% alcohol. Screwcap. $22, shame was about $18.
90 points.
Two years later and it’s an even worse review. Inversely the wine itself has settled into a round, satisfying mouthful. The quality of the fruit shines. In an imaginary French bistro, you wouldn’t be allowed your steak frites or confit without a glass of this. More a hedonistic 91 points now.
