Château Gazin 2018

This is a good-quality, serious wine. It has some firm tannins and a ton of fruit, and underneath it all the luxurious feel of a quality Pomerol. 2018 marks 100 years under the de Bailliencourt family. 50% new oak.

Rich aromas of blueberries, ripe black cherries, chocolate and sandalwood. It’s full-bodied with firm, well-integrated and rounded tannins. Solid depth of fruit here. Creamy and polished. Better after 2024.

93% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc. Black almost to the rim. Ripe, sweet, spicy and dense, earthy too. Thick, chewy and sweet on the palate. Full and broad rather than elegant, but the tannins are smooth if compact. Just enough freshness for balance. (JH)

The 2018 Gazin has a lively, generous bouquet of vivacious wild strawberry, boysenberry and hints of tobacco. The aromatics are well delineated and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, offering seductive black fruit mixed with black pepper, truffle and clove. There is so much finesse toward the finish that it is approachable now, yet it certainly has the substance to suggest long-term aging. Not to be underestimated, this is another wonderful Gazin.

Plums, truffle, chocolate-covered cherries and licorice hit all the right notes. Rich, silky, plush and concentrated with layers of suave cherries and plums. This is so good now, it is hard to resist. But wait another 7-8 years and it will be a markedly better wine. This could be one of the best vintages ever produced at Chateau Gazin. The wine is made from blending 93% Merlot with 7% Cabernet Franc.

The deep purple, inky-hued 2018 Château Gazin comes from the Pomerol plateau and is 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. A brilliant nose of blueberries, candied cherries, wildflowers, tobacco, chocolate, and spice gives way to a stunning Pomerol with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. This plush, sexy, opulent Pomerol does everything right. It already offers pleasure yet will ideally be given 4–6 years of bottle age and will have roughly two decades of overall longevity.

Purplish red. Complex, spicy bouquet with black pepper, refined cassis spice, mulberries and freshly tanned saddle leather. On the palate, fleshy extract, dense and (still) unapproachable, a compact bundle of muscle. Long finish for this masculine Pomerol that feels utterly self-assured!

Kunz barrel sample 19: (90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc) Velvety, dense, fresh, complex bouquet with strawberry jelly, blueberries, After Eight, light tobacco, pralines. A tightly woven, multi-layered palate with powerful, precise fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a finely muscular structure, varied, intense, sweet aromatics, and a very long, delicately bitter finish with lots of lingering flavors.

(90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc) Silky, dense, fresh, complex bouquet, strawberry jelly, blueberries, After Eight, light tobacco, pralines. Densely knit, multi-layered palate with powerful, refined fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a finely muscular structure, varied, intense, sweet aromatics, very long, subtly bitter finish with plenty of lingering aromas. 19/20 2026 - 2050

The 2018 Gazin has a deep garnet-purple color. It opens with scents of cedar, tobacco, and pencil lead, leading to baked blackberries and mulberries, with a waft of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, it is soft and understated on the palate, with an earthy finish.

A register of finesse and freshness, with a very noble tannic framework and a floral finish that typifies the great Pomerols of the vintage.

Superb bouquet perfectly combining the freshness of red berries with the charm of 2018. Notes of cherries, blackberries and cocoa beans, along with a chalky touch. Fresh, juicy character on the attack. The wine has precise, compact tannins and lovely tension. Freshness is therefore the order of the day and is indeed welcome in the rather charming style of the vintage. Fruity, persistent finish. A fine success.

Logo on the cork: LA Dark, intense, deep purple color. Highly aromatic nose, fruity, powerful and creamy. Soft on the attack, silky mid-palate, the wine is round and complete. It finishes with moderate length, with present tannins that are well wrapped.

94–96. Barrel Sample. Smooth and juicy, this is ripe in a blackberry flavor. The wine's rich fruits are shot through with the fresh acidity that marks so many Merlots from Pomerol in this vintage. The wine is sure to age well.