CHÂTEAU GAZIN

The 2016 Gazin is a blend of 87% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc this year, picked from 22 September with respect to the Merlot and from around 7 or 8 October for the Cabernet Franc. Now this has quite a powerful bouquet for Gazin, more heightened fruit compared to recent vintages with blackberry, briary and pressed flower aromas that are well defined (although my sample demanded two or three minutes to really find its voice). The palate is medium-bodied with a gently grip on the entry. I adore the tannic structure to this Gazin, equidistant between masculine and feminine, a backbone that will ensure this will age over many years. There is abundant, lightly spiced black fruit with a touch of cracked black pepper and clove towards the finish. The 50% new oak will add a little muscle onto the finish, thereupon you will have a really marvelous Gazin that will give three years of drinking pleasure, possibly more. Drinking range: 2023 - 2055 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Dark crimson. Rich, shiny, blackberry aromas. Sinew and a dry but not drying finish. A little austere and lacking juice but creditable. Correct. Drinking range: 2024 - 2037 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

Ripe and engaging, with a pretty display of cherry, raspberry and blueberry fruit flavors that stay fresh, carried by silky structure through the inviting finish. Not super-dense, but really lovely fruit. Rating: 91-94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)

Tight and silky with plum, blackberry and blueberry character. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and silky. Very linear and bright. A pretty follow-up to the stupendous 2015. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)

Classic, almost savoury fruits here, among the most left bank in style of all the Pomerols with cassis and black pepper spice. It's a wine that steals up on you - I tasted it several times and became increasingly impressed by the construction and the measured delivery of excellence. A full 13% of Cabernets here, split between 5% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, the highest proportion of the latter for many years. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)

The 2016 Gazin is bold and powerful, yet also retains striking freshness and energy throughout. Sweet red plum, blood orange, wildflowers and mint are some of the many notes that are delineated in this super-classy, refined Pomerol. All the elements come together effortlessly in the glass. The 2016 is not a big Pomerol; rather, it is a wine that impresses with its nuanced expression of the vintage. Hints of smoke, tobacco and grilled herbs add closing shades of complexity. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

This doesn’t quite hit the same heights as the 2015, but it’s still a very stylish Pomerol, with plenty of zip, perfume and backbone from the Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. The tannins are a little firm, but should soften in bottle. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)