Wine of the Week! 08/12/24

Mas de Daumas Gassac Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Rosé

Normally $15.99 / Now on Sale for $12.96
60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Carignan (Pays d’Hérault IGP)

In 1974, Aimé and Véronique Guibert bought their farm, Mas de Daumas Gassac, in south France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region. They were eager to be farmers but didn’t know what crops they should farm until a university soil specialist said, “Oh, with what I’m seeing, you should plant grapes.”

Today their children — five Guibert brothers — manage the business with brother Samuel as their winemaker. They organically farm over 40 different grape varieties in small, forest-enclosed parcels, less than 20 miles from the Mediterranean, in the Pays d’Heuralt.

With the Heuralt River running through it and into the Mediterranean Sea, the Pays d’Heuralt features a mediterranean climate that is mitigated by a trio of regional winds — the Marin, the Tramontane, and the famous Mistral. The combination makes Heurault a good area for grape growing.

For this wine, the Guiberts destem and press their organic grapes for fermentation before aging the wine for five to six months in stainless steel. What comes of their efforts is a floral rosé with a crisp balance of acid and fruit — just what you cherish in a southern French rosé.

(Just in case you were wondering, their Guilhem line of wines is named after the patron saint of nearby Herault town of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.)