30 years of Daumas Gassac blanc in 23 vintages

On Saturday February 17, 2018, the day before the opening of the Vinisud trade show in Montpellier, the Guibert family brought together around twenty connoisseurs around 23 vintages of the estate's great white wine offered over three decades. The purpose of this tasting was to exchange our comments so that the estate could synthesize the appreciations to subsequently begin a reflection on the conduct that will be appropriate to hold in relation to future vintages.

The tasting was also enriching for the tasters, who all had a different approach to the wine and a very personal sensitivity to it. So when it came to ranking the five most outstanding vintages, no single bottle was able to win over the majority of the audience. There are several explanations for this: Daumas Gassac's white wines have the particularity of being made from an unconventional blend of grape varieties, the percentage of which varies according to the harvest, principally viognier, petit manseng, chardonnay (and chenin blanc from 2003). Depending on the year, these are supplemented by 5 to 20% of around twenty rare varieties.

This art of blending enables the cuvées to retain their qualities over time. What's more, the estate benefits from a micro-climate that preserves the acidity and freshness of the aromas. Three styles emerge from this tasting: the fruity wines from 2017 to 2014, the unclassifiable wines from 2013 to 2008, and the oxidative wines before 2008. What they all have in common is purity, freshness, digestibility and originality.

2017

Nose of white flowers, very expressive and delicate, with noble vegetal notes. The palate is greedy, crisp, fruity, acidic, with good acidity and amplitude as well as a fine sweetness on the finish. Very precise. Keep it or drink it as an aperitif with raw scallops in an olive oil and fleur de sel emulsion.

16,5

2016

The nose seems a little closed, reminiscent of a Riesling. The palate is very rich, ample, fat, with ripe yellow fruit and citrus. A sincere wine that doesn't give itself away easily, and that we could wait a few years before proposing with vanilla lobster.

16

2015

Closed on the nose, with fruity notes and finesse, it gains in expression after aeration. Fat, unctuous, rich and creamy on the palate, with good acidity on the finish, but the residual sugar (12g per liter) seems too noticeable at present, and will need to be left in the cellar for a few years to mellow.

15

2014

The nose seems closed when the wine is served, but offers fine iodine notes after aeration. The palate is saline, mineral, almost chalky and powdery, reminiscent of a still Champagne wine. Nice bitters on the finish, with a touch of combava zest. Drink now with Tarbouriech oysters from the Etang de Thau.

15,5

2013

The nose is already expressive, with smoky, mineral notes. The palate is reminiscent of a terroir riesling, with richness, fullness and minerality, with good acidity and a fine sweetness on the mid-palate, finishing with a beautiful bitterness. An atypical and highly original cuvée, to keep or serve today with salmon in lemon butter sauce.

16,5

2012

Fine nose of preserved lemon and citrus fruit. Floral palate reveals good acidity, with mineral tension. Superb balance between freshness, sweet spice notes, fatness and acidity. Drink now with poultry curry and coconut milk, or cellar for a few more years.

17

2011

Fresh lemon on the nose. On the palate, citrus fruit punctuated by fruity, tangy notes charm, enhanced by fine bitters and zesty touches. Refreshingly saline finish. In a fine, light register. Drink now with langoustines in lemon mayonnaise.

16

2009

The acidic, fresh citrus nose is lightly oiled. Rich, ripe and fruity on the palate, with hints of tangerine pulp and hydrocarbons. With good acidity and a hint of licorice on the finish, it is straightforward and long. Drink now with fish in matelote.

16,5

2008

The nose is reminiscent of beeswax. Good acidity on the palate, fine and fresh, but a little short. Pleasant and light, to be served immediately as an aperitif with a 24-month Comté.

14

2006

From this vintage onwards, the wine changes color from light yellow to golden, and even to dark golden in some vintages. The fruity nose has a fine oxidation. The rich, long, dry palate, with notes of powder and curry, is reminiscent of both a Riesling and an old sherry. Drink now with sweet and sour shrimp and curry.

16,5

2004

Fruity and light on the nose, it appears pleasant on the palate, with a balance between bitterness and sweetness. The finish is a little tight due to a lack of freshness. Drink quickly.

14

2003

The nose blends freshness and acidity, and plays more in the register of finesse, with aromas of wax, not revealing much fruit. Lovely chiseled, mineral, chalky and dry palate. The finish is a little evanescent, leaving us wanting more. Drink now with an old Parmesan.

16

2000

Many tasters appreciated this cuvée. The wine is very flattering, evoking a Sauternes nose with honeyed notes. The palate is light, greedy, oxidative and a little short. The sweetness on the finish is a little unbalanced, but will be erased with a fish Amok, a Cambodian dish based on coconut milk and mild spices (turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, paprika). Drink up.

14,5

1998

Very typical Fino nose, with hints of pear, walnut and sweet spices. The fine, long, powdery palate evokes undergrowth, walnuts, curry and saffron. Delicate, light and at the same time austere, it can be drunk now with langoustines in saffron sauce.

16

1996

The most atypical cuvée of the tasting, as it can be classed as a demi-sec with 16 grams of residual sugar. Dark yellow in color, the nose is moderately expressive. With aromas of caramel and honey, very rich, the palate is finely balanced between liqueur, oxidation and beautiful bitters on the finish. Drink it or keep it and uncork it to accompany a blue-veined cheese like a Fourme de Montrbrison or a Stilton.

16,5

1995

We missed out on this vintage with its fine honeyed nose, but found it a little short and flat on the palate. This cuvée failed to seduce us even though it has no flaws. Drink now.

14

1994

The least successful cuvée of the series, yet it reveals a spicy, fresh nose. The palate is light and slightly deviant. A wine to drink.

13,5

1993

Flattering nose of honey and sweet spices (turmeric). Oxidative, dried-fruit (walnut) and unctuous on the palate, with substance, richness and lots of fat. Very long finish. Drink immediately with a blanquette of monkfish with vegetables.

15,5

1992

Encaustic nose with a fresh acidity. Light, slightly thin, raisiny, finely maderized palate. Drink now with a tapenade of local olives.

14

1990

Discreet, orange-peel nose. Very typical Fino palate, still austere, with fatness, amplitude and aromas of candied and macerated grapes. Chalky dimension and intense length for this cuvee to keep or drink now with roast quail and morels au jus.

16,5

1989

The most original and representative of the estate's older vintages. The very fine nose reveals aromas of raisins and candied citrus fruit (tangerine), while the palate is all about controlled oxidation, combining complexity, length and minerality, with notes of macerated grapes and delicious aromas of salted butter caramel on the finish. A fine cuvée that can be cellared for many more years, or enjoyed today with pan-fried foie gras deglazed with pommeau.

17,5

1988

Fine, smoky nose. The palate seems light, a little short and hard despite a certain finesse. Drink now with an old Comté.

14

1987

An atypical cuvée, made without blending the rare grape varieties, but only with the addition of muscat. The nose is very fine, distinguished and noble. On the other hand, the palate is fine and a little short. Drink now with beef consommé.

14