At first, the nose is spicy with blackberry notes; with air, the second nose develops brambly and cocoa aromas are joined by toasted oak notes. The palate is full bodied and rich with velvety tannins. Complex fruit and savory flavors shine on the middle palate, licorice flavors on the long finish.

WINE INFORMATION

Jean-Claude Mas’s great-grandfather, Auguste Mas, bought the first family vineyard in 1892, when he acquired 22 acres (9 ha) of vines in the Mas de Bicq, near the village of St. Pons de Mauschiens (close to Montagnac). In 1934, Auguste’s son Raymond Mas enlarged the family holdings to 34 acres (15 ha) in Domaine Montredon (Montagnac). Twenty years later, Raymond’s son Paul developed the estate to 296 acres (120 ha) with his brother, Maxime. Continuing the family tradition, in 1987, Paul gave 35 ha to his son, Jean-Claude. In 1990, Jean-Claude created Domaines Paul Mas, an enterprise named for his father. Today it consists of 15 Châteaux and Domaines.  Jean-Claude had a mission: to revive the prestige of Languedoc wines, bringing out the terroir of each of the properties he acquired. He began with his family’s 86-acre estate, on a site six miles from the Mediterranean, chosen by his great grandfather and named for his father, a location where they had been winegrowers for four generations. Jean-Claude subsequently expanded to today’s 2,100 acres, scattered throughout the Languedoc. He is the winemaker, and has had this interest since childhood; he vividly remembers the time when he was three years old and escaped from his mother in the vineyard, running a mile and a half to find his grandfather Auguste in the cellar. Vinus the heron, named after one of the estates, is the company’s emblem, standing in front of the Conas Castle, located on a 25-hectare vineyard near Pézenas. Over 80% of Jean-Claude’s estates are farmed organically; all are manually harvested.

Grapes for this wine are organically grown on vines averaging 52 years old. They go through a cold prefermentation maceration in tank, ferment with native yeasts, and see a post fermentation maceration for 14 days at 18-23° C with daily pumpovers. The wine is then gently pressed and lots are blended. Half the wine is transferred to 225-liter French and American oak barrels, 30% new, 35% one year old, and 35% two years old; half remains in tank. The wine rests for 6-10 months.