# Cassagne et Vitailles Clas Mani (2020)

- **Producer:** Cassagne et Vitailles
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Syrah, Carignan, Grenache
- **Region:** Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €53
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry, lavender, black pepper, herbaceous, toast, vanilla, chocolate, leather, tobacco, forest floor

## About this wine

Domaine Cassagne et Vitailles was founded in 2015 by childhood friends Matthieu Rollin and Nicolas Seffusatti in the high-altitude Terrasses du Larzac region of Languedoc. Operating out of a fortified 15th-century farmhouse, the estate focuses on biodynamic viticulture and micro-parcel vinification. Clas Mani is their flagship red cuvée, designed to challenge the stereotype of heavy Languedoc reds by introducing Burgundian precision, elegance, and mineral tension to Southern French varieties.

## Interesting facts

- Only 5,533 bottles of Clas Mani were produced in the 2020 vintage.
- The wine is aged in barrels from Tonnellerie Chassin, the same cooperage used by Burgundy icons like DRC and Coche-Dury.
- The estate operates on a strict allocation-only system to prevent market speculation.
- The winery is housed in 'Le Pressoir', a fortified farmhouse dating back to the 15th century.

## Food pairing

This structured, high-intensity red wine requires rich, savory dishes with ample protein and fat to soften its firm, polished tannins. The wine's high acidity cuts through the richness of slow-cooked meats and duck, while its complex herbal and peppery notes beautifully mirror roasted game, lamb, and wild herbs.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested and sorted on a plot-by-plot basis. Each parcel is vinified separately in small, temperature-controlled stainless steel vats inside a cellar built from Fontvieille stone blocks, which naturally regulates temperature. The wine is aged for a total of 30 months, including 18 months in premium French oak barrels from the prestigious Burgundian Tonnellerie Chassin, followed by refinement in concrete eggs to settle and clarify naturally without fining.