The 1996 Blanc, in keeping with the general rule of thumb that this is a high quality vintage for white wines throughout the Rhone and Languedoc-Roussillon, is an excellent, perfumed wine with plenty of citrus, apricot, peach, and floral scents. It is a ripe, exuberantly fruity, medium-bodied wine that requires consumption over the next year.This wine was tasted in May, 1997.This was one of the first Languedoc-Roussillon estates to fully exploit the potential that exists in this windswept, sunny region. I have had the pleasure of buying, cellaring, and drinking all of the Mas de Daumas Gassac reds since 1978. They have always been very good, but I am unimpressed with the rustic tannin that remains in so many vintages I purchased and cellared. The wines have always possessed good depth and robustness, but they are best drunk in their first 5-6 years of life when they are exuberant, fiery, and mouthfilling. To my taste, the roughness of the tannin becomes exaggerated with long term aging. There have been refinements to the wines' style, as the tannin in recent vintages is somewhat sweeter in the top years, which may auger well for more harmonious development past 7 or 8 years of age. A white wine has also been added to the Mas de Daumas Gassac's portfolio. Approximately 3,000 cases are made of this delicious, intriguing blend of a number of white wine grapes, including Viognier, Petite Mansang, and Chardonnay.Kermit Lynch's wines are available throughout the United States, with the import label "Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, California." Kermit Lynch's address is 1605 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA 94702; tel. (510) 524-1524, fax (510) 528-7026. In France, the Kermit Lynch office is located in Beaune; tel. 011 33 3 80 24 70 96; fax 011 33 3 80 24 18 64.