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Happy are those who will open a bottle of Daumas Gassac 1998 twenty or even thirty years from now!
Absolute maturity!
– 36% Petit Manseng (origin of the vine: Charles Hours – Béarn).
– 33% Viognier (origin of the vine: Georges Vernay – Condrieu).
– 15% Chardonnay.
– 16% rare grape varieties: Marsanne, Roussanne, Petit Courbu, Muscat Petit grain, Muscat d’Alexandrie, Gros Manseng, Semillon (France).
The 1998 climate can partly explain the vintage’s sophistication: intense heat was followed by cool weather during the harvest, with regular showers bringing 20mm of water during September, freshening up the vine leaves and grapes thus avoiding overheating the very ripe fruit (6° during the harvest).
Skin maceration for 5 to 7 days, fermentation in stainless steel tank.
We were expecting the 1998s very late, but they were fifteen days ahead of schedule. The 1998 harvest was a kind of perfect, absolute ripeness, preserving both freshness and the aromas of very ripe fruit.
The two lives of Mas de Daumas Gassac White Wine
Laid down in a cool cellar (14°-16°C, 57-60°F) even the oldest can happily wait with no problem for many years. However, being laid down in warmer temperatures will speed up the wines’ maturity.
First life
To taste within the first three years if you appreciate wonderful fruity flavours.
Drink our white wines as an aperitif or with a meal. They drink beautifully with most dishes.
Second life
Quite a different wine from the third or fourth year! Its youthful fruitiness will have disappeared, to be replaced by new flavours reminiscent of “sherry” or old “Sauternes”, a touch “oxidative” with great finesse.
Take care: if you are not looking for this type of wine, slightly paradoxical as it ages, drink our white wines within the first couple of years.
Tasting hints
– Serve around 10-12°C (51°F). Do not over chill.
– Open the bottle an hour before serving, but always replace the cork. Decanting encourages wines to express their full complexity but, always replace the stopper.
