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The 2014 Gazin has another earthy bouquet, the red fruit laden with scents of white pepper, clove and bay leaf, yet perhaps missing the vibrancy of other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied, masculine and overtly austere. It lacquers the mouth with a vice-like grip, dense and foursquare on the finish. It is impenetrable at the moment; a Pomerol that does not want to get to know you, but let’s see what it will do with bottle age. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The 2014 Gazin has another earthy bouquet, the red fruit laden with scents of white pepper, clove and bay leaf, yet perhaps missing the vibrancy of other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied, masculine and overtly austere. It lacquers the mouth with a vice-like grip, dense and foursquare on the finish. It is impenetrable at the moment; a Pomerol that does not want to get to know you, but let’s see what it will do with bottle age. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
The Château Gazin 2014 is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc picked between 19 September and 8 October. I like the freshness on the nose here: more black than red fruit, a little broody and introspective at the moment but well defined with mineral tones coming through. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin and nicely judged acidity. There is a sense of nonchalance about this Gazin, nothing over-ambitious, something perhaps in keeping with the vintage, uninteresting in replicating the 2009 or 2010, happy in its own skin.
Undemonstrative but dense and powerful. Solid fruit and tannin. Austere at present with firm but rounded tannins. Good but will need time. Drink: 2022-2034
(95 Merlot, 5 Cabernet Franc) Rather bold black fruit kicks off with intent but there is still a slight dryness, greenness and sourness which tempers it and slows it down. With some very smart fruit at its core though Gazin will shrug this astringency off and even out beautifully.
Mid crimson. Sweet and simple and easy without great density of fruit but quite a bit of tannin underneath. For the moment the frame dominates the flesh. Drink 2023-2031
Gazin often makes some of the finest, least flashy Pomerols, and that’s the case here. There’s some chocolatey oak on the nose and palate, complemented by leafy fragrance, textured, fine-grained tannins, a hint of green pepper and a lingering finish. Subtle winemaking. Drink: 2020-30
A fresh and juicy style, with lots of blueberry, raspberry and plum coulis flavors that race through the anise-accented finish. Features ample, well-integrated toast.
The small sub-region of Pomerol is situated north-east of the industrious city of Libourne. Pomerol's soils are predominately iron-rich clay with a smattering of gravel that produce wines with extraordinary power and depth. As a result of this clay-dominance, it has the highest percentage of Merlot planted in all of Bordeaux. Certain châteaux are produced exclusively from this grape, but most incorporate smaller quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc as well. Despite its hefty (if not exclusive) proportion of Merlot, many people think of wines from this region as separate entities. As one wine aficionado stated recently, "It's not Merlot. It's Pomerol." Despite the region's small size, Pomerol contains some of the world's most sought after (and expensive) wines including Pétrus, Le Pin, Lafleur, l'Evangile and Vieux Château Certan. Unlike other Bordelais subregions, there is no system of classification. The châteaux are traded on reputation alone.
