Fusion Wines Ltd.

Suffolk Office

The Coach House
Barton Mills
Suffolk IP28 6AA
+44 (0)1638 510803

We thought it about time we found a good Rasteau producer and scoured the area last summer to find a challenger to Andre Romero's title as Rasteau superstar. The Masson family could easily take him on: their top cuvées are exquisite. Daughter of Emile Bressy, Marie-France Masson has improved the quality of wines from this 34 hectare Rasteau estate. With many vines over 100 years old, Marie-France and her husband Thierry have some excellent raw materials and, following a sustainable approach to viticulture and vinification, the wines here have a wonderful purity and richness.

In addition to their red wines, Bressy-Masson is one of an ever-diminishing number of Rasteau estates making wines in the Rasteau Rancio appellation (although, according to John Livingstone-Learmonth, this style is making a resurgence). This is a vin doux naturel, a speciality of the region, made in much the same way as Port but from indigenous grapes (ie. Grenache). The slightly more common Rasteau VDN is not dissimilar to a Tawny Port (see Domaine des Côteaux des Travers) but the Rancio is quite different - stylistically more a cross between Sherry and Madeira. The reason is that, whereas barrels are usually topped up when evaporation occurs during the ageing process to prevent oxidation, the Rancio wine is deliberately oxidised in a controlled manner. As with all great fortified wines, it has an intoxicatingly sweet palate but a dry finish.

Wines

2005 Domaine Bressy-Masson Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau 'Paul-Emile' 3342277

Tasting Notes: Classic Rasteau from one of the appellation's top estates, rich with bold, sweet fruit. Dusty tannins are well-matched by the wine's body. The best vintage of this wine I have tasted to date.
Drinking Dates: 2007 to 2014
Grapes: 60% Grenache (80 years old), 30% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
Soil: Clay-chalk with galets on the surface. South-south-east exposure
Winemaking: 50% destalked, 20 day fermentation, 12 months in oak barrels
ABV: 13.5%
Critic Reviews: "A sweet bouquet of blackberries, cherries, smoke, damp earth, liquorice and meat. Full-bodied and moderately tannic, it represents a substantial mouthfeel of uncompromising Rasteau." 89-91/100 (Parker)
91/100 (Wine & Spirit)
Food: Rich stews (daubes)


2003 Domaine Bressy-Masson Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau 'A la gloire de mon père' 3342278

Tasting Notes: Rich with a nice underlay of spicy oak. The Mourvedre is coming through to challenge (or, rather, cooperate with) the Grenache which dominates. Lots of red-black fruit, chocolate and ripe tannins. Absolutely superb.
Drinking Dates: 2007 to 2015
Grapes: 60% Grenache (80-years-old), 25% Syrah (45-years-old), 15% Mourvèdre (45-years-old)
Soil: Clay-chalk with galets on the surface. South-south-east exposure
Winemaking: 50% destalked, 20-day fermentation, Syrah aged in new oak 228 litre Allier barrels.
ABV: 14%
Critic Reviews: "Structured, with loads of tannin as well as a big, sweet, chocolatey nose with notions of scorched earth, ripe black cherry fruit and a candied sweetness, this is an opulent, full-throttled Côtes du Rhône Villages with soft tannin and high glycerin, alcohol and structure." 90-92/100 (Parker)
Food: Rare steak