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2004
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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2008 and 2011 (based on 1 user opinion) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.2 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 16 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by jimmymac on 8/13/2012 & rated 90 points: Thyme and lavender faded a bit now replaced by licorice and tobacco. Still intriguingly different and delightful. Wish I had more. (1969 views) | | | Tasted by jimmymac on 10/16/2010 & rated 90 points: Probably at it's peak right now. Beautifiully smooth with that mix of fruit and herbs. (2195 views) | | | Tasted by tmoritz1 on 3/9/2009 & rated 88 points: Very nice aanc complex mix of fruit .Smooth taste but lacks acidity which is the only draw back-Very much an old world style wine (2413 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 2/18/2009 flawed bottle: Messed up with medicinal notes and off-flavors. No better day 2. An off bottle. (2368 views) | | | Tasted by danibus on 1/13/2009 & rated 91 points: I have to agree with the last note on this one. Silky smooth, with impeccably balanced red fruit and herbs. Impressive complexity for the price. Give it an hour or two in the decanter though. (2445 views) | | | Tasted by caldwell on 1/4/2009 & rated 92 points: Wow - my notes are completely different than those that have come before me. I think that this is a fantastic example of my favorite kind of wine - a soft, luxurious, giving Grenache-based wine from the Southern Rhone. Can any wine on earth compete with this for fruit-driven gratification with easy-to-notice complexity with a lusty finish that cries out for additional glasses? We found this soft, fruit-forward with the classic aching garrigue in the back end. This style (fruit-forward Southern Rhone Grenache) that I miss when I don't drink frequently enough. (1499 views) | | | Tasted by lkatz on 9/18/2008 & rated 85 points: not much to this wine, disappointing (1098 views) | | | Tasted by phancylad on 8/11/2008 & rated 89 points: Tight on opening. After about 45 minutes got some nice raspberry/meat on the nose. Maybe another year is needed. (1161 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 6/15/2008: Mostly red fruits on the nose with a hint of herbal and bitters. Light in body with a nice precision. Good fruit, very soft and plush. Finish a bit sabotaged by the soft structure. Very nice w/ a summer supper and especially w/ soft aged goat cheese. (1314 views) | | | Tasted by lkatz on 6/14/2008 & rated 88 points: nice but a little bitter on the finish (1241 views) | | | Tasted by jimmymac on 5/24/2008 & rated 89 points: Good mouth feel. Great herbs on the nose, especially thyme and lavender. A little plum. Well balanced, but not much depth. (1317 views) | | | Tasted by NickG on 5/21/2008: A bit of plum and garrigue on the nose. Round and polished with herbal, licorice, red fruit, and plum flavors. Somewhat bitter herbs and licorice take over on the finish. Well made, but lack of acidity detracts. (1331 views) | | | Tasted by tmoritz1 on 4/30/2008 & rated 90 points: Deep color-licorice and tobacco nose. Clear tastes of the Syrah and Grenache and the 30% Carignan make for a very distinctive and old world flavor-Very interesting and enjoyable find (1455 views) | | | Tasted by Reyman on 4/24/2008 & rated 89 points: This is the first wine I ordered from Garagiste and it is a great value. It has great plum fruit with black earth and touches of herb (lavender and sage). It is very nicely integrated--interesting but not overpowering. It was described by Garagiste as being "feminine" in style. I have no idea what the hell that is supposed to mean, but this wine proves that a touch of restraint in the wine making process can be a very good thing. There is a purity and simplicity in this wine that is very appealing. (1428 views) |
| By Jon Rimmerman
Garagiste (1/29/2008)
(Mas des Dames (heart vine)) Dames Dear Friends, With a name like Farm of the Ladies (Mas des Dames), this winery is on a mission to prove that elegance and feminine grace in Syrah is what the public desires - not slathered oak, rough wood tannins and alcohol. If our consumer base is any indication, they are right. Mas des Dames, not Mas de la Dames in Provence (which is another winery widely available in the US), is a quasi-revolutionary winery in the Coteaux (Languedoc) that is making a rainbow-fruited combination akin to Vieux Donjon meets Clos Mogador with 13.0-13.5% alcohol instead of 15-16% (which seems to be the new order of the day in Priorat and the environs around Avignon). Produced by three towering Dutch woman (thus the name of the wine, Mas des Dames), this is a wine all of you should try if you’ve become bored by the tried and true. This wine is living proof that passion still exists in this small hamlet of the world and the proof is in the bottle begging to be allowed out of its green-tinged glass house. I stumbled across this winery, literally, after my rented Renault got a flat tire on one of the many dirt and rock filled pot-holed byways they refer to as “roads” in the south of France. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had a flat tire in a remote, desolate place but the experience lulls the human mind into all sorts of exaggerated thoughts, few of which are good. I stood by the road for what seemed like days (it was only two hours) and finally a horse and buggy appeared on the horizon that turned out to be a plow being dragged by a mule. Two of the giant woman referenced above were with the plow (when I say giant, I mean 6 feet without shoes an or closer to 6 feet 3 inches with sneakers on) and much like a mirage in the desert they offered to take me to the local town for assistance - the local town was 12 miles away by mule and plow so we had a long time to talk - in a round about way, this offer is the result of that chance occurrence. Sometimes life deals you a hand that you can stare at forever when the answer was looking back at you all along - such was the case with Mas des Dames. I was so caught up in finding the winery I had set out to see that morning (before my flat tire) that the best winery in the entire Languedoc was already at my footsteps - the one run by the giant girls. Mas des Dames is a unique parcel of land, farmed with meticulous detail spread among 22 separate mini-parcels in the hills surrounding their house near the ancient city of Beziers. The mother tends the vines, all by hand (with only one other helper) while the daughters are at school all week - on the weekend it’s a mother/daughter affair. If you think going to the Wendy’s drive-though for lunch seems tiring, imagine tending 22 parcels of vines up and down garrigue covered hills in the hot sun? They don’t need to do this - some sort of machine could do much of the work but they choose to do it by hand to ensure that their wine realizes every last bit of potential it has with the ultimate goal of being the finest wine produced in the Languedoc. A lofty goal for sure, but one they believe can be obtained if they are dedicated and work just a bit harder everyday and just a bit more than yesterday - a simple lesson in life that seems so obvious but is too easily lost in our modern life of computers and overflowing schedules. Sometimes you have to stop and wonder if you are actually the one getting ahead or is your career reaping all the benefits and leaving you behind? A day in the hot Southern French sun with nothing but swaying lavender and the scents of the countryside will put everything neatly into perspective. When I returned from fixing my tire, I stopped by the house to say thanks and they gave me a bottle of this - the 2004 “heart-vine” cuvee that is a special blend of their Languedoc red made from Syrah, Grenache and a Priorat-like portion of 30% Carignan. If smiles were bottled they would be inside this wine. It is a beverage so pure and colorful (in personality, not actual color) that the old, rustic nature of this area is quickly forgotten in favor of what can be accomplished with a new take on non-intervention and artistic winemaking. Like crushed thyme immersed in a painters palate of deep-toned but still elegant red fruit - this wine shimmers with sunlight on a early spring day when life holds all the promise of the coming season... VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for woman-owned operation in a sea of male-dominated, over-roasted and high alcohol personalities from this region. The wine is pretty good as well. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance 2004 Mas des Dames (heart-vine cuvee) Coteaux du Languedoc (as mentioned above, this is not Mas de la Dames in Provence - the heart vine cuvee is only in Europe and is not available in the US) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA SOFR6650 |
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