Château La Fleur de Gay 2023

A balanced nose evincing ripe black and red fruit and toasty notes that reflect excellent integration of 50% new oak for ageing. I like the opulent palate, thanks to old-vine Merlots grown from vines on cool clays, revealing both floral freshness and juicy plum. A frank success! Only about 6,000 bottles produced.

Flowers, black cherries, and dark chocolate in a voluptuous, opulent style, with freshness, layers of dark red pit fruits, wet earth, and a velvety, lush finish. This is a hedonistic wine that will deliver a lot of pleasure over the next 15–20 years. The wine was produced from 100% old-vine Merlot. Drink from 2028–2047. 94–96 pts.

Great location for this classic Pomerol estate, highly charged in 2023 with notes of cappuccino, coffee bean, creamy rich plum and black cherry. Harvest on September 9 for merlot, then a long wait until September 20 for the Cabernet Franc. Raynaud Lebreton family, 2ha of vines. 50% new oak for ageing.