Claude Val Blanc Classique 2015
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Jean-Claude Mas was born in a winemaking environment in the Languedoc, in Pezenas. At the age of 3, during harvest, he escaped from his mother and ran 2.5 km to meet his grandfather in the cellar. This was a moment that he never forgot, when his interest and passion for wine was born.
At school and later at university, he studied economics and advertisement, and wine was only a hobby. No matter where he lived, he was always involved in wine: in the North of France, he created a wine club, then in Englanc, he set up a small import company for organic wines, then in Miami he worked in the consulate to develop the import and distribution of French food & wine products.
In his professional life, he devoted the first 3 years of his career to his second passion: car and moto races, but not after long, he came back to his first love: wine.
At the beginning of the 1990s, he worked 4 years in Bordeaux. This experience in the wine world was determining, as he had his encounter with one of the most famous Italian winemakers, Giorgio Grai, in 1992. He taught him the art of blending and how to create wines with style. This teaching process has in fact never stopped.
In 1995, he did his first blendings for the family at Nicole Estate. Jean-Claude Mas is often described as a pioneer from the New Languedoc, belonging to the New wave of French wines, one who is on a mission to give back Languedoc its former glory in a region where wine production goes back to more than 2000 years.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
A catchall term for the area surrounding the Languedoc and Roussillon, Pays d’Oc is the most important IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) in France, producing 85% of this country’s wine under the IGP designation. (IGP indicates wine of good quality, not otherwise elevated to the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status.)
The near perfect Mediterranean climate combined with dry, cool winds from the north, optimal soils, altitudes and exposures make Pays d’Oc an ideal wine growing region. Single varietal wines and blends are possible here and while many types of grapes do well in Pays d’Oc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Cinsault are among the most common.