In early March, I participated in a press webinar tasting on the wines of Paul Mas with Jean Claude Mas moderated by Thomas Taddeo Hipster Wine and organized by Sara Cintelli The Wine Linker.
We are in the south of France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, between Pézenas and Montpellier, 10 kilometers from the sea, perhaps one of the lesser-known wine-growing areas of the transalpine but capable of yielding excellent products.
The Paul Mas style is the result of a harmony between an extraordinary region for wine production, a passion for the vineyard, respect for the grapes during winemaking, and a great knowledge of blending and aging, all under the banner of sustainability. Rural luxury since 1892 as the slogan states.
Jean-Claude Mas is a winemaker who has managed to build, in just twenty years, a company with as many as 15 estates scattered within a few kilometers. With a production of 22 million bottles, the entrepreneurial choice is therefore to follow tradition by letting each territory speak for itself, enhancing its characteristics and local grape varieties, preserving its typicality and identity but updating its techniques and work in the vineyard.
Jean Claude's wines are sincere and honest, as pleasant as hearing him tell it, and they come to market at decidedly competitive prices thanks to the per-hectare cost of the land, which is low compared to other French regions.
We tasted 5 entry level labels:
VIGNES DE PAUL VALMONT Assemblage Blanc 2020, PGI Pays d'Oc, a blend of Grenache blanc, Chenin, Mauzac, Chasan, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc
Bright gold in the glass with green reflections, on the nose first comes the white flower and then the fruit, citrus but also tropical fruit, in the mouth a lot of fruit with good balance and persistence.
PAUL MAS RESERVE Sauvignon Blanc 2020, PGI Pays d'Oc, 100% Sauvignon blanc
In the glass straw yellow with green hues, the nose is aromatic, citrusy of lemon and grapefruit with an herbaceous note, in the mouth has nice acidity and a hint of exotic fruit comes through.
DOMAINES PAUL MAS Vignes de Nicole - Rosé 2021, Pays d'Oc PGI, blend of 35% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 15% Carignan, 10% Syrah, 10% Caladoc, 5% Mourvèdre
A beautiful salmon pink in the glass, elegant and intense nose, fruity with white peach and red currant, floral notes and also eucalyptus, very pleasant in the mouth, very fresh and balanced with an elegant finish
VIGNES DE PAUL VALMONT Assemblage Rouge 2020, PGI Pays d'OC, blend of Merlot, Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, Syrah
A beautiful light garnet red in the glass, fruity nose with notes of plum and raspberry but also spicy, quite round in the mouth with a licorice finish.
PAUL MAS RESERVE Crémant de Limoux Brut Blanc de Blancs, AOP Crémant de Limoux, 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin, 10% Mauzac
Fine and persistent bubbles in the glass, white fruit and brioche notes on the nose, fresh and elegant in the mouth.
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