2012 Gazin

This is certainly one of the great 2012s from Pomerol. What’s amazing is that it is 100% Merlot. Readers may have forgotten (or never knew) that a chunk of this vineyard was sold to Petrus in the early 1970s, but what remains is still a superb terroir and incredibly well-placed on the plateau of Pomerol, adjacent to Petrus and across the road from Lafleur. This wine tips the scales at 14.5% natural alcohol, which puts it right up there with the 2009 and 2010. This points further to the sensational success Pomerol enjoyed in 2012. It is inky purple in color, with a glorious nose of black fruits, an unctuous texture, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. Sometimes Gazin can show too much new oak in its youth, but that is not an issue with the 2012. This is sensational Pomerol and one of the great wines of this vintage. Give it another 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following two to three decades.| eRobertParker.com.April, 2015

Tasted blind. Blackish crimson. Austere start with some tarriness and then a panoply of exciting aromas. Focused and exciting. Quite rich. Though at the moment the finish is not as opulent as the mid palate suggests it should be. Jan 2016, jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2022-2038

Tasted blind at the Southwold Bordeaux tasting. The 2012 Gazin has a complex, quite mercurial bouquet that seems quite confit in style at the moment. After five minutes it offers raspberry coulis, wild strawberry, marmalade and minerals. You could nose this all day! The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, beautifully balanced with a harmony all its own. It glides across the mouth, so much so that it almost belies the structure underneath. This is seriously good—a top-drawer Pomerol with long-term ambitions. It may warrant an even higher score in the future. This is one to watch. Tasted January 2016. Oct 2016, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2020-2045