Description

Sharing boundaries with Petrus and L’Evangile means that the pedigree is there to make great wine. The fact that Gazin sold 12.5 acres to Petrus only heightens the excitement. 26 hectare on the prime site of the Pomerol plateau means that Merlot is strongly favoured making up 90% of the vineyard plantings. Cabernet Sauvignon is 7% and Cabernet Franc 3% .

Dark, earthy, herbal, spicy and chocolatey. Gazin’s nose was intense and tightly wound and really in need of a lot more time. Charry oak, black olives, bitter chocolate and dark fruits greet your palate. The fruit built in the glass over time and again this is a wine that is not going to be super impressive now. But with time it will evolve and unpack to become a glorious wine.

Pomerol – Merlot dominates here ably supported by Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon a distant (and sometimes non-existant) third. There is only 800 hectare of vines and almost 150 producers and Pomerol is the only major appellation of Bordeaux to eschew a ranking system.  The quality at the top level are arguably better than any other Bordeaux but it can vary.

Merlot – It gets a tough time most of the places it is grown. But in Pomerol and Saint-Emilion Merlot not only dominates but makes some of the best wines in the world. Perfume, silky and plush. Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon season the wines with structure and acid but in some places, like Petrus they are almost not needed.

2010 – Largely over looked after the amazing 2009s. Is this better than 2000, 2005, 2009? Is it more like the famous vintages to follow up the greats such as 1996 and 2001? All I know is that after tasting the first shipment of 2010s my customers requested a second tasting and fast. See Decanters notes of the vintage here.