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Tasting notes
A more elegant, finesse-driven Pomerol that grows on you with time in the glass, the 2023 Château Le Gay has spicy red and black fruits, sappy herbs, flowers, and camphor on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, graceful, layered mouthfeel, fine tannins, and outstanding length. It blossoms with air and needs 4-5 years of bottle age to really shine but will reward patience with a solid two decades or more of prime drinking. Drink 2030-2050.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Le Gay is a gorgeous, sumptuous Pomerol. Copious dark fruit, mocha, chocolate, licorice, dried herbs and a kiss of French oak are all laced together. As always, Le Gay shows the riper side of the appellation, which is amplified by vinification in barrel. This should be stellar with a few more years in bottle.
The 2023 Le Gay was a perplexing wine from barrel. Revisiting it in bottle, I still find a herbaceous component on the nose, though fair enough, not as accentuated as it was back then. The palate is balanced on the entry, but again, there is clearly an underripe element that jars on the finish. A second bottle, and that vegetal element was less obvious, but lurks in the background. I have admired a lot of recent vintages from Le Gay, but this bottle consistently poses more questions than answers.
The subtle beauty of the nose is so impressive, with dark chocolate, coffee and blackberry aromas that follow through to a medium body with firm tannins and a creamy and polished finish. Racy and very long. 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Best after 2029.
About the producer
There’s been lots of change at Ch. le Gay since the Parent family arrived in 2002 – with vineyards replanted, the cellars renovated and the winemaking adjusted. No surprise, perhaps, that quality is now higher than ever.