1998 Mas de Daumas Gassac

64.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.8% Merlot, 6.6% Cabernet Franc, 1.4% Tannat, 5.6% Malbec, 2.5% Pinot Noir, 8% Syrah, 2.6% rare varieties. TA 3.39  g/l (sulphuric) , pH 3.71. Quite a medicinal character here; very lifted and aromatic – almost a little bit volatile, actually. The flavour seems dominated by that menthol note, and the finish is a tad fiery too. (RH)

Full and honeyed. Still with lots of life and nerve. Exciting! Good for food. Viognier very evident. Long on palate with honeysuckle and apricot aromas. Attractive tension and nervosité. (JR)

From a sample bottled yesterday: Bright, saturated ruby-red. Subtly perfumed aromas of redcurrant, leather, and iron. Dense, sweet and thick, with a remarkably chewy texture. Tannins spread out horizontally on the palate. Very long but a bit squashed by the bottling. From a sample bottled a month prior to my visit: Good deep red. More aromatically complex nose of cherry, redcurrant, candied blackberry, fresh blood, game, licorice, leather, iron and tobacco. Smooth, thick and deep; an uncanny combination of dense texture and spine. Finishes very long and subtle, with superb vinosity and noble tannins that spread out to coat the entire palate. An outstanding vintage for Daumas Gassac. This is distinctly less sweet in style than most Languedoc wines, but more sophisticated and built for long life. And, happily, there's no trace of the intrusive dryness that limited my enjoyment of this estate's '96 and '97 reds.