Château Le Gay 2021

Delicate, floral, lots of spice, red and dark berries, cream. Accessible palate, delicate fruit, fine tannins, well balanced, already enjoyable, yet with structure for at least 15 years.

The 2021 Le Gay offers aromas of minty cherries and berries framed by sweet new oak, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, broad and front-loaded attack that starts strong, before falling off short on the abrupt, discreetly mordant finish.

Juicy and direct, with a fan-friendly core of blackberry paste and licorice notes lined with briar accents. Reveals a singed alder backdrop, with touches of warm earth on the finish providing added range and grip. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035. 1,575 cases made.

Supple and lithe, sleek, with good energy and focus, lifted and bright with ripe fruit but also quite a lot of structure that is taking over the finish a little right now. Toast, liquorice and oak with mint and dried herbs; it’s not too much, it just reminds you there’s underlying power. A little consumed by wood right now—constricted and tight—but this should smooth out.

The 2021 Le Gay fulfils the promise it showed en primeur with a fine bouquet: red berry fruit, forest floor and a touch of garrigue emerging with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with pastille-like red fruit on entry, fine tannins and a nicely composed finish that feels tender and elegant. This is a finely crafted, quite delicious Pomerol. Chapeau!

Deep ruby core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Fresh red forest berries, hints of cherries, delicate notes of beeswax and liquorice. Juicy, elegant with fine savouriness on the palate, ripe, integrated tannins, mineral and fresh with a salty finish. Good potential for ageing.

Black raspberries, red plums, spicy oak, and dried flower notes all emerge from the 2021 Château Le Gay, a beautifully balanced, elegant, medium-bodied Pomerol that shines for its finesse and elegance. It has some background oak, fine tannins, and a great finish, and is a total charmer that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise over the following 10-15 years or so. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 35 hl/ha, 13.5% alc./vol., production 21,000 bottles) Dense, deep, velvety, fruity bouquet: strawberry jelly, blueberries, cedar, black tea, currants, fine licorice. Tightly woven, subtly powerful, elegant palate with fine, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated structure, varied, intense aromatics, long, powerful finish. Still has room to improve.

(90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 35 hl/ha, 13.5% vol. alcohol, production 21,000 bottles) Dense, deep, velvety, fruity bouquet: strawberry jelly, blueberries, cedar, black tea, currants, subtle licorice. Tightly knit, finely powerful, elegant palate with fine, creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated structure, diverse, intense aromatics, long, powerful finish. Can improve further. 18/20 2029 - 2050

Sleek if slight, aniseed and fennel play with tomato leaf and sappy raspberry fruit. This has a mouthwatering finish but less appellation signature than normal. Vignobles Péré-Vergé. Tasted twice.

Le Gay 2021 has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It offers up vibrant scents of red and black cherries, with underlying suggestions of roses, black pepper, and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate delivers an impressive concentration of muscular black fruits with a firm, grainy texture and well-knit freshness, finishing long and earthy.

2021 offers a dark profile to Le Gay. The nose is restrained, with scents of spices, fresh black fruits, papier d’Arménie and fine wood. But it is on the palate that the quality of the terroir is perceived, with a mineral and saline sensation that breaks through and extends the finish. Cellar for at least 20 years.

Freshness, pleasure, and beguiling aromas of stewed fruits and flowers intertwine with warmer notes. On the palate, the texture is quite ambitious, fleshy and velvety. A precise, delicate finish. We hope for the very best for this wine.

Le Gay reveals itself with great relevance, in a well-structured, precise manner. With good density, the wine shows charm as well as vigor. Great care has clearly been taken with finesse and delicacy, and this proves to be a very wise choice. It allows the wine to express its excellent abilities, even in a challenging context. A fine, precise, and convincing wine!

The nose is fresh, fruity, and offers a certain intensity of freshness and a lovely definition. It reveals notes of vibrant blackcurrant, black plum, and, more subtly, ripe/juicy bigarreau cherry, joined by hints of raspberry as well as fine touches of toast, tonka bean, and a delicate hint of coffee/pleasant bitterness. The palate is elegant and fruity, delivering freshness, lovely definition, finesse, elegance, beautiful purity, and a bright, fruit-driven character. On the palate, this wine shows notes of violet, blackcurrant, and, more subtly, fresh/fleshy cherry, with touches of cardamom, fresh tobacco, fine points of tangy/fresh small red fruits (even crunchy), along with fine hints of sweet spices and a touch of mocha. The tannins are small and velvety. Well-judged bitters on the finish. Lovely freshness. A discreetly tight edge on the palate.

Dark, intense and beautiful color. Fruity, ripe-style nose. Soft, flavorful palate, with a slightly tighter profile than usual. For now, vinification in full barrels slightly marks the finish. Good length with wrapped tannins. Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol: 13.5%. Yield: 30 hl/ha. Production: around 21,000 bottles.

Black cherries, plums, chocolate, espresso, and flowers pop in the nose. The palate is equal to the perfume with all of its plums, black cherries, creamy tannins, and chocolate notes, along with toasty oak, licorice, spice, and a refreshing sprig of mint in the finish. Chateau Le Gay is normally a wine requiring quite a bit of aging before it begins to show its best. But, with the 2021 vintage, you can enjoy this with pleasure after just a year or two of aging. The wine blends 90% Merlot with 10% Cabernet Franc, and is 100% entirely vinified in new, French oak barrels. Drink from 2025-2045.