CHÂTEAU LE GAY

2016 Pomerol

Grapes Merlot, Cab Franc
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Pomerol & Lalande de Pomerol
Village Pomerol
ABV 13%

90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Floral nose, quite warmly ripe fruit, a supple warm feel, quite oaky, but it's well-done. Finish stays on the fruit, long and slightly savoury. Lots of wood evident, but it's the class of the fruit that wins. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 91-92 L&S (Apr 2017)


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As with the La Violette, the 2016 Château Le Gay shows a slightly more elegant, structured style yet still packs rocking levels of fruit and texture. Mulled dark fruits, new saddle leather, camphor, and tobacco all give way to a full-bodied Pomerol that has building tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It’s still holding things close to its vest, and while I miss some of the sheer opulence found in vintages such as 2005, 2009, and 2010, this is still going to be brilliant. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and it should shine for two decades or more. Drinking range: 2023 - 2043 Rating: 94+ Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Mar 2019)

The 2016 Le Gay is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc cropped at 27 hectoliters per hectare between 27 September and 14 October, matured in 100% new oak. The nose handles the new oak in stride with very pure, almost Côtes de Nuits-like red cherry and strawberry fruit, a patina of vanilla emanating from the wood. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with black cherry and blueberry fruit, a fine line of acidity, very polished in style with a gentle grip on the finish. Le Gay hit the high spots in the previous two vintages. I am not sure if in 2016 it quite reaches those levels, although it is still a sensual wine that should age with style over the next 15-20 years. Drinking range: 2021 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)

Very dark crimson. Very extreme and sweet and concentrated. Not a good example. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030 Rating: 16 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)

Château le Gay

Château le Gay, and near-by Château Lafleur, were owned by sisters Therese and Marie Robin for some sixty years. In the later years of their tenure, the management of the estate had been largely entrusted to the Moueix family with whom it was mostly expected that the estate would end up. But when Marie Robin died and her heirs had to sell one of the estates to meet inheritance duties, it was Catherine Pere-Verge who emerged as the owner of le Gay. Catherine had spent 40 years working for the family crystal ware business before deciding to semi-retire by buying a château in Pomerol. She started at Château Montveil where she garnered sufficient enthusiasm for the life of a vigneron to throw her hat into the ring with the better sited Château le Gay. She, subsequently, went on to buy the set to be iconic Château la Violette. On buying Château le Gay, Catherine installed new wine making facilities and increased the size of the vineyard by planting some previous unplanted land. Even with the newer vines, the average age of the vineyard is still 40 years old, planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

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