Côté Mas is centered in the Languedoc region of France, helmed by Jean-Claude Mas, whose first memory of wine occurred when he was 3 years old, and he ran away from his mother for 2.5 kilometers to follow his grandfather to the cellar. He was entranced by the processes that occurred there, and naturally, in his adult life, went on to start a wine club, then an import company, then worked in distribution, before finally working in Bordeaux and mentoring under famous Italian winemaker, Giorgio Grai, to learn the art of blending and making exceptional wines. He’s considered a pioneer of the new wave of French wines in the Languedoc, avowed to propping the region up to its former glory of centuries past. He took over his family’s winery in 2000 and has masterfully crafted crémant wines in the traditional method ever since.

This wine’s composition is 60% chardonnay, 20% chenin blanc, 10% pinot noir, and 10% mauzac. (If mauzac is not on your grape variety radar, it is grown mostly in the Limoux appellation and adds a honeyed, green apple character to a blend. It’s late ripening with high acid, so perfectly suited to sparkling wine production. And, of course, chenin blanc, a staple of the Loire Valley region, offers stone fruit and citrus character to the overall blend, as well as good acid structure). The fruit all hail from Limoux in the southern French Pyrenean foothills, planted on clay and limestone soils at some 820 to 920 feet elevation. Fermentation occurs on stainless steel prior to aging on the lees for a year and the use of a Brut-level dosage, followed by another 12 months age time in bottle.

The nose of the wine is piquant and lightly refreshing, with notes of candied lemon, white flowers, and myriad orchard fruits. A dryness carries into the mouth, unfurling a basket of citrus fruits along with more apple and pear, some acacia, lemon curd, and baguette crust, with a creamy mouthfeel and full, elegant mousse. This is light on its feet but carries complexities ranging from chalky to minerally to citrus and orchard fruit-filled – just straightforward delicious, easy-to-drink stuff! And a pleasing aperitif alongside just about any meal you can dream up…for an easy $15, don’t miss this!