You may not have heard of Jean-Claude Mas but his family began growing grapes in the south of France in 1892.  Jean-Claude gained experience in the wine business and education around the world, coming back to the family business when he inherited his father’s vineyards in Pézénas of 35 hectares.  In 2000 he created Les Domaines Paul Mas from these vineyards.  Between 2002 and 2016 he acquired Teramas Astruc, Mas des Tannes, Arrogant Frog, Crès Ricards, Martinolles, Clos du Moulinas, La Ferrandière, Silène des Peyrals, Jérémie, Mas Saint André, and Lauriga wineries.  You may have noticed “Arrogant Frog,” which was very popular a few years ago in BC and is still a going concern.

I recently was invited to attend a dinner at Le Crocodile, now owned by Chef Rob Feenie, and enjoy the wines of Jean-Claude Mas.  Jean-Claude is a forward thinker, looking for innovation, but as well respecting the land, using organic methods where possible (40%+) and in the other vineyards being labelled as High Environmental Value (HVE) Level 3.  He does not shy away from hybrid grapes better adapted to periods of drought and extreme temperatures.  One of the wines I tasted was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Souvignier Gris, that is a cross between Seyval and Zaehringer.

My dinner this evening was:

• Appetizer: Kobujimi Hamachi (yellowtail tuna) with white soy, yuzu, stone fruit, chilli, and celery ice
• Main: Beef Tenderloin with sauce au poivre, pomme frites, and vegetables in butter
• Dessert: Classic Le Crocodile Alsatian Apple Tart

We had a variety of wines to taste throughout the meal, but to start Jean-Claude treated us to a cocktail that he had invented using the wines from a selection of his wineries.  I believe the cocktail is named, Catallini.  It is made with apricot juice he brought from France, combined together with a sparkling, Le Bercau, Blanquette de Limoux from Chateau Martinolles, and a dessert wine, Rivesaltes Ambré, from Chateau Lauriga.  It was a very refreshing cocktail, with pronounced apricot aromas and flavours.

The first wine I tried was the Domaines Paul Mas Viognier 2023.  Jean-Claude is well-known his making top-quality Viognier wines.  This wine had a light citrus nose.  Medium-plus body, dry, very smooth with an oily texture.  Stone fruit flavour and lower acidity.  Medium-plus length.  An elegant wine. –

This wine was followed by his Arrogant Frog Resistant Souvignier Gris – Sauvignon Blanc 2023.  An organic wine made with a hybrid grape and a vitis vinifera. The “Resistant” designation suggests that the wine has been made with disease-resistant grapes or techniques.  It has a light lemon colour.  Citrus, lime and stony minerality on the nose.  It is dry, medium body and lightly round, smooth mouthfeel.  Fresh, and youthful with citrus flavours and medium acidity.  Medium length.

We also had a Chardonnay Viognier blend but did not see the bottle.  I think it may be the Paul Mas Vignes de Nicole Chardonnay Viognier. It had a light stone fruit nose and a very smooth, viscous mouthfeel.  Apples, peaches and sweet spices on the palate.

This wine made a very complementary pairing with the hamachi.  I enjoyed the texture of the fish, along with crunchiness from the celery ice, saltiness and chilli pepper in the sauce. The sweet spices in the wine made the pairing memorable.

Côté Mas Orange, Vin de France, 2023 – This is a natural wine composed of 90% Muscat Petits Grains and 10% Grenache Gris. The orange colour is obtained by macerating the juice with the grape skins, which gives the wine a fresh frame of fresh grapes revealed by skin tannins. It has a light orange colour.  Light floral and orange aromas with more on the palate.  It has a light body, dry and soft with a touch of sweet spices on the palate.  Light tannins.  Tasty.

Château des Crès Ricards Stecia 2023 – A Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot blend. This wine has a deep to opaque ruby colour in the glass.  Medium-intensity grapey nose.  Medium body, very smooth and soft mouthfeel.  Juicy berries, butteriness and light sweet spices on the palate.  Medium acidity and light tannins.  Light pepperiness on the finish.

Domaines Paul Mas Château Paul Mas, Clos des Mures 2023 – from vines in the Chateau-neuf-du-Pape region.  This wine has a deep ruby colour and leaves teardrops on the sides of the glass with swirling.  It has a light intensity meaty and berry fruit nose.  It is dry, medium-minus body with a lean mouthfeel.  Juicy berries, sweet spices and light pepperiness.  Some buttery texture.  Light tannins and medium-plus acidity.  Light drying tannins and pepperiness on the finish.

Château des Crès Ricards Oenothera 2022 – also from the Chateau-neuf-du-Pape region, this wine is made with Syrah grapes. It has a light-intensity purple fruit nose.  Medium body, smooth with a soft mouthfeel.  Lower acidity and medium tannins.  Berry fruits and some bitterness.  A young and youthful wine. –

The Beef Tenderloin with sauce au poivre was amazing.  It was perfectly cooked, between medium and medium-well.  It was at least an inch thick, if not a little more, and was so tender to cut and to chew.  The sauce au poivre was not overpowering, which I prefer.  I like pepper to be in the background, not burning my mouth, taking away enjoyment from the steak.  I had a chance to speak with Chef Feenie and told him how much I enjoyed the Beef Tenderloin.  It is a dish I will remember for a long time.  Top quality.  

For dessert we had the Classic Le Crocodile Alsatian Apple Tart, which had a nice creamy texture. The brown butter and cardamom ice cream added flavours, plus refreshing coolness from the ice cream.  A great way to end the dinner. 

Thank you to Jean-Claude Mas for bringing his wines for us to taste, to Chef Feenie and his team at Le Crocodile for the delicious dishes, and to Laura Sousa from Charton Hobbes for inviting me to this dinner.

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