Mas de Daumas Gassac, Grand Vin Rouge

Today’s 2008 bottling is an exceptional library release from one of the greatest names in all of French wine. Perhaps the best way to introduce someone to Mas de Daumas Gassac is to mention they single-handedly spearheaded the movement to produce ‘Grand Cru’ quality wine in the sprawling “wine lake” of Languedoc-Roussillon (once a pariah among French winemaking regions).As with many major movements, there was skepticism upon their 1978 inaugural release: People were already buying big-ticket Bordeaux and Burgundy with pleasure, so who would buy a wine from this region at this price? A prominent Bordelais professor even went as far to say it could be two centuries before Daumas Gassac could be recognized as a ‘Grand Cru.’ When, then, was the first mention? In 1981, just three years later. What followed was pandemonium: distinguished critics began discovering this exclusive, Cabernet-heavy gem and comparisons to Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Pétrus, and many other blue-chip estates soon fol