JEAN-CLAUDE MAS DECLINES COLOR IN MANY SHADES.
Since his debut in 2000, Jean-Claude Mas has been convinced that, contrary to popular belief, the Languedoc has the terroirs to produce excellent white wines. With a vast diversity of terroirs and grape varieties, he transforms color into wines of pleasure and dreams. From unbeatable value for money to exceptional vintages, our white wines tell the story of their place of origin and define their style. Find out more about Jean-Claude Mas’ vision, discover the different terroirs and understand his art of blending.
JEAN-CLAUDE MAS THE AMBASSADOR
Promoting the white wines of the Languedoc across the whole world Founded by Jean-Claude Mas in the year 2000 starting with a small family vineyard, today Domaines Paul Mas comprises seventeen wineries and domaines spread across the whole of the Languedoc and Roussillon regions, from Gard to the Pyrenees Orientales.
To these 940 hectares of estate vineyards which form the heart of the business and one third of its total production, are added grapes bought in principally from dozens of partners grapegrowers and vinified by JeanClaude’s team. From this Domaines Paul Mas produces and distributes some twenty-five million bottles of wine each year in more than eighty countries, with one important distinction – since the beginning, white wines make up half of the total production: a white wine paradise in the heart of the red Midi.
This singularity is driven by their founder. A visionary, the winemakernegociant was convinced from the very start:
“Contrary to received ideas, the region possesses the terroirs to produce fine white wines.”
To prove it, he has not hesitated to take risks and presented, among one of the very first cuvées which carried his name, a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier. He transforms what seemed an odd pairing, even more so at these latitudes, into an explosive marriage, a mini aromatic bomb which awakens the taste buds.
And his boldness pays off: the success of the wine is immediate and attracts many imitators, in the Languedoc but also outside of France. This success also helps to teach Jean-Claude a lesson. One must follow one’s intuition, even where this goes against popular belief. Notably at Domaine Ferrandière, where he twists one of the most common beliefs, by demonstrating that fertile soils can give rise to fine wines.
Armed with a vast diversity of terroirs and of grape varieties at his disposal, he shows the many forms of white wines, either in wines of pleasure or of dreams. Whether unbeatable value for-money examples or exceptional fine wines, these white wines which carry Jean-Claude Mas’ signature tell of their place of origin and describe a style. In combining delicacy and freshness, which today’s technology allows us to preserve, they rhyme exuberance and elegance.
JEAN-CLAUDE MAS THE GRAPE GROWER
Cultivating white grape varieties under the Midi sun.
Twenty years of close observation have allowed Jean-Claude Mas to choose the terroirs most suited to producing white wines, and to bring to the vines the best possible treatments to be able to harvest grapes of the highest quality.
Reaching a slow and harmonious maturity
In the chosen parcels, a large temperature difference between day and night slows down the ripening of the grapes. A slowness which allows the fruit to give of its best, with no need to go to higher altitudes to find freshness. In the shallows and basins of the Hérault plain, the thermometer shows several degrees lower than on the plateau.
The maturation also needs to be as regular as possible. To avoid hydric stress which would block this process, 20 to 40 millimetres of rain are necessary each month. Even there, the plain is not always synonymous with dryness, and the vine sometimes does better there than on the slopes. When the conditions demand and water is available, irrigation is practiced with moderation. The mastery of the drip irrigation practice allows us to adapt the flow according to the schedule, and to the permeability of the soil. At Domaine de la Ferrandière, the water taken from nature, thanks to an ingenious system of canals, is returned to it, cleaner than when it arrived.
