CHÂTEAU GAZIN

I can’t remember tasting a better vintage of Gazin at this age. Exceeding my expectations, this is a lovely, harmonious, well balanced blend. This carries its 14.5% alcohol with ease, thanks to the succulent black fruits balanced by acidity and minerality. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 96 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)

The 2015 Gazin has a perfumed bouquet with layers of black cherry, raspberry coulis and truffle scents, more welcoming and sensual than the wines a decade ago from barrel when they intermittently felt under-ripe. There is none of that here for sure. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit on the entry. There is excellent structure here, a masculine Gazin with plenty of grip, counterbalanced by abundant tertiary, tobacco-tinged black fruit. There is real salinity towards the finish, completing a superb wine by Nicolas de Bailliencourt and his team. Do not overlook this Pomerol. It is one of the subtler expressions of the 2015 vintage and one that I am sure will develop beautifully in cask. Drinking range: 2020 - 2050 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)

Bright crimson. Appetising and savoury on the nose. Much drier than most Pomerols. Racy and mineral. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)

Maintaining great consistency these days. Big, bold and succulent with an impressive depth of ripe fruit and tannins. Rich but balanced. A reliable purchase. Drinking range: 2022 - 2037 Rating: 92 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)

The assemblage here is 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol is 14.5%. This has a very dark, serious, spiced-fruit nose, with nuances of roasted black cherry fruit. The palate has an immediately apparent creamed black plum texture, with a charcoaly tannic underpinning. Despite this it still feels fresh, pure and bright, but all the same there is no denying the structure and oaky underpinnings ere. The overall substance still feels fresh, bright and vigorous, the tannins only coming out to the fore at the finish, where they are ripe, broad and lightly drying. Although it is very masculine and broad in its composure, the fruit still feels taut and lifted, and the overall effect is a good one. Rating: 16.5-17.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)

The 2015 Gazin is dark, fleshy and wonderfully expressive. Mocha, bittersweet chocolate and a host of ripe dark fruit, along with the wine's contours, give the 2015 much of its sumptuous personality. This is a decidedly plush, extracted style, but all the elements are nicely balanced throughout. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)

Ripe, rounded and inviting in feel, with a red licorice frame around a core of plum sauce and cherry preserves. A touch of alder peeks out on the finish, as this has yet to digest the oak, but the pieces are in place for a rock-solid Pomerol. Rating: 91—94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)