Languedoc-Roussillon Wine

Our Professional Review

Rand Sieger, 67 Wine Buyer: Always one of the first rosés to hit the market, this traditional Southern Rhône blend comes from 25–50 year old vines grown along the Gassac River. It boasts a pleasant, intense nose with hints of strawberries — full and round on the palate with bright red fruit flavors.

Few winemakers have come to define their region like Mas de Daumas Gassac has with the Languedoc. Aimé and Véronique Guibert purchased the land in the early 1970s, guided by a Bordeaux-based soil scientist who recognized the limestone-rich terroir's great grape-growing potential — as densely mineral-laden as Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

What sets Mas de Daumas Gassac apart is their unflinching commitment to pushing boundaries — of the appellation's rules, of conventional farming techniques, and of "expected" grape varieties. Having traveled the world as part of a family leather business, the Guiberts planted an eclectic assortment of international grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Petite Arvine, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, and more.

Tasting Notes

The 2025 Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Rosé is one of the most anticipated value rosés of the year — effortlessly chic and tasting far more expensive than its price tag suggests.

Pairings: Tabbouleh, grilled chicken, niçoise salad, or spicy appetizers like shrimp ceviche.

Product Details

• Vintage: 2025
• Varietal: Syrah (primary)
• Appellation: Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
• Region: Languedoc, France
• Bottle Size: 750ml
• Closure: Screw Cap
• Producer: Mas de Daumas Gassac / Moulin de Gassac

Winemaker Description 

Made from 100% Macabeu, this rare dessert wine spent 21 years in barrel before being bottled. The slow oxidation in barrel gives this wine its characteristic amber color, as well as complex notes of fig, date, toasted hazelnut, and caramel. Best served at room temperature, try this on its own after dinner, or alongside cheese, pastry, or chocolate cake. Once opened, the wine can be enjoyed for several months. 

Jean-Hubert Verdaguer and his wife, Brigitte, helm Domaine de Rancy in the Roussillon, one of only a handful of quality wineries still producing exceptional Rivesaltes in the old Ambré style.

This unique type of fortified wine is a Vin Doux Naturel, in which a pure spirit is added during fermentation to stop conversion of sugar into alcohol. These are complex and incredibly versatile dessert wines, typically 16% to 20% alcohol with 85-100 grams of residual sugar, and acidity varying between 6% and 8%.

The grapes – 100% Macabeau – come from organically-farmed vineyards. It is the addition of neutral grape spirits that prevents them from obtaining organic certification on their Vin Doux Naturels.

They are hand-picked late in the season, pressed, fermented, and fortified in tank. Only the best wine is chosen for barrel-aging, and it remains in barrel for up to 60 years. The wines are bottled as needed, unfined and unfiltered, and the wine is best served at room temperature to fully appreciate the intense, complex aromas that develop in the glass.

Chateau d'Oupia Pays d'Herault Les Heretiques 2024 · Languedoc, France

This Carignan and Grenache blend from Languedoc takes its name from the Cathars, a local heretical group who resisted rigid Christian dogma in the 13th century. The wine is similarly rebellious: an unconventional blend bursting with dark berry fruit, violets, and garrigue, backed by freshness and minerality. Sustainable.

Vinification

The Carignan vines average 40 years in age, with some of them being over 100 years old. The fruit is sustainably farmed and harvested partly by hand and partly by machine. The Carignan remains in whole clusters and goes through a carbonic maceration in tank, while the Grenache is destemmed and goes through a 3-4-week maceration in concrete vats. Fermentation is with selected yeasts. The two varieties are blended and aged in tank, and the wine is bottled with a light, non-sterile filtration.

Producer

Everyone talks about the new quality of wines from the Languedoc. For us, this doesn't mean the ubiquitous varietal bottlings from irrigated flat vineyards but the wonderful wines coming from the best hillside vineyard sites in AOCs like Minervois, Corbières and Coteaux-du-Languedoc. The Château d'Oupia is one of the best.

André Iché inherited an impressive 13th century castle and a large estate in the barren Minervois region. Iché was never a member of his village coop, tended his very old vines and made his wines but sold everything in bulk to local négociants. One day, a Burgundian winemaker happened to be in Oupia, tasted Iché's wines, and was so enthused that he convinced Iché to bottle and market his production.

André passed away in late 2007. His daughter, Marie-Pierre, currently runs the estate with the help of Fabrice Lopez and many old timers who know the land like the back of their hands.

Critical Acclaim

Robert Parker — Château d'Oupia has consistently been praised and rated a "best buy": "Château d'Oupia has produced the ideal bistro wine. Dark, ruby-colored, the wine is wonderfully clean and pure, with an exuberant personality, and gobs of rich, peppery, red and black fruit...Bravo to proprietor André Iché!"

Details

• Producer: Chateau d'Oupia
• Country: France
• Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
• Sub-region: Pays d'Hérault
• Grapes: Carignan and Grenache
• Vintage: 2024
• Certification: Sustainable
• Size: 750ml
• Women Led 

Importer profile courtesy of Louis/Dressner.