Mas de Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant, Sparkling Rosé, Languedoc, France 2021

Mas de Daumas Gassac, often referred to as the “Lafite of the Languedoc,” is known for its pioneering natural farming and expressive wines from the Gassac Valley. Their Rosé Frizant is a rare, lightly sparkling rosé made using a natural partial fermentation method—capturing a gentle spritz and low alcohol for ultimate refreshment and versatility.

• WINEMAKER: Samuel Guibert

• FARMING: Natural farming (no synthetic treatments; cover crops and biodiversity emphasized)

• VARIETY: Blend of red varieties (exact composition undisclosed; bled from the domaine’s red wine fermenters)

• TERROIR: Mountain-cooled vineyards near Aniane in the Gassac Valley; limestone-rich soils with varied exposures and elevations contribute freshness and aromatic lift

• VINIFICATION: Produced by saignée (bleeding) from red wine vats; fermented until nearly dry and bottled to preserve natural effervescence. Zero dosage and minimal intervention.

• TASTING NOTES: Aromas of violets, fresh cherries, and wild strawberries. On the palate, bright and minerally with crisp red fruit, gentle sparkle, and racy acidity. Light-bodied, dry, and endlessly refreshing.

• FOOD PAIRINGS: Ideal with summer picnics, Provençal fare, fresh cheeses, grilled shrimp, or salade niçoise

• ALCOHOL: 11%

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From our September 2021 Explorer Pack Bottle Club Notes:

    Affectionately referred to as the “Lafite of the Midi”, Mas de Daumas Gassac has been producing exceptional, collectible, and unusual wines in southern France since 1978. Aimé and Véronique Guibert purchased a farm (mas) in the Gassac Valley of the Languedoc in 1971 and quickly suspected that the cooler climate and glacial limestone outcrops might be conducive to producing killer wines. With the help of two renowned Bordeaux professors, enologist Emile Peynaud and geologist Henri Enjalbert, the Guiberts soon planted 1.6HA of vines, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with hopes of creating a ‘cult classic’ wine. 

    Part of the Mas de Daumas longevity is their willingness to keep pushing boundaries and experimenting. Each year since their first vintage, the Guiberts have expanded their farm, planting more varieties (now more than 40!) and always changing the blends just slightly on their core wines. Not only are their rouge wines collectible and delicious, but they have taken it even further, going on to create a white blend that collectors go crazy for (if they can find it!). The latest in their lineup is a fun and fresh sparkling rosé made from their famed Cabernet Sauvignon vines.  

    This frizant is serious but still playful, intended to be enjoyed in the height of summer, and always improved alongside a late afternoon meal with good company. The wine is made from the free-run juice (saignée) of the farm's youngest Cabernet vines. Blended with a bit of Mourvèdre, Pinot noir, Sauvignon, Petit Manseng, and Muscat, the juice is sent to an airtight stainless steel tank to ferment on its own, with nothing added to it— no dosage, no gas, no sugar, no yeast. While similar to Pétillant Natural or Pét-Nat, the difference is that the bubbles form in tank, not the bottle. This is delicious. This is cool. This is a producer to geek out on. Drink it young and drink it COLD. Santé!  — Simi Grewal