Mas Gabinele – Faugeres – 2020

PRODUCER NOTE:
Thierry Rodriguez, grandson of a winemaker, always dreamt of making his own wines, and in 1997 he bought his first plots of vines in the Faugères appellation. Situated in the foothills of the Cévennes and surrounded by beautiful garrigue, the appellation is renowned for its magnificent schistous soils. Demanding, thorough and a perfectionist, Thierry manages the vineyard with great care and attention. In turn, the vines produce naturally low yields of around 25 hectolitres per hectare, of beautiful, healthy berries that reach optimal maturity – the key to fully expressing the Faugères terroir. Nothing revolutionary here, simply the application of good farming sense and practices that respect the environment; the estate is certified HVE. Mas Gabinèle takes its name after ‘unà gabinelà’ which in Occitan refers to the traditional wine-maker’s hut in the vineyards.

VINTAGE:
2020 will be remembered for its changeable climate. The wet winter generously replenished groundwater reserves, allowing budbreak to occur early. The warm, wet spring was record breaking for high temperatures and rainfall, which in turn stimulated intense growth, good foliage development and early flowering. The typically Mediterranean summer, was hot and dry which allowed the vines to mature and the fruit was harvested under good conditions.

VINEYARD:
The estate is located in the Faugères appellation in the Languedoc and is situated at 180 metres elevation, overlooking the village of Laurens. It has progressively expanded to its current size of 23 hectares, which has enabled in-depth renovation of new parcels. The Syrah and Mourvèdre are double Cordon Royat pruned vines and the Carignan and Grenache are pruned according to the traditional Gobelet method. The vines are planted in ochre, grey or blue sandstone and schist soils, which are slightly acidic and have a fragile structure. This high quality but demanding terroir naturally produces low yields, of around 25 hl/ha. The estate is cultivated sustainably, and is HVE certified, which officially recognises the environmental performance of winegrowers, including biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategies, managed fertiliser use and water resource management. The grapes are hand-harvested.

WINEMAKING:
This cuvée is the balanced expression of a mosaic of plots. The grapes were carefully sorted in the vineyard to select the ripest fruit. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts, followed by a long, gentle maceration period of 20 to 30 days with pumping over, avoiding excessive over-extraction. The wine was then matured for 12 months in 225 litre French oak of second and third use, punctuated by regular racking.

TASTING NOTE:
An opulent Southern French blend, showing wonderful aromatic concentration with rich layers of black fruit, tapenade, toasty notes and pepper layered with tantalising minerality. Beautifully framed by fine grained tannins through to a balsamic finish.

GRAPE:
Grenache 40%, Syrah 30%, Carignan 20%, Mourvèdre 10%.

COUNTRY:
France

REGION:
Languedoc

SUB-REGION:
Faugeres