Château La Croix de Gay 2021

Perfumed nose with subtle smoky notes, vanilla, dark and red berries, plums. Creamy palate, well-integrated tannins, harmonious, the vintage is very well handled. It will be enjoyable when young.

A nice pure and clean wine, initially full of flavour and intensity with a nice tannic profile that suggests it's still at the start of its life. The mid palate softens a little with the flavours becoming more delicate and nuanced but still with focus. An elegant take on 2021, this has a lovely character with high acidity, salty almost chalky tannins and a long finish. Not massively demonstrative, but that makes it all the nicer.

Cherries, flowers, spice and herbs crowd into the perfume. The palate is light, vibrant and soft, finishing with high-toned cherries, raspberries and strawberries. Not a lot of depth, but I like the charm here. Drink from 2024-2032.

Dark garnet, purple tinge to a broad rim. Fresh red-berry notes overlay delicate nettle savoriness and subtle vegetal tones. Medium-bodied, loosely knit, a hint of greenness, finishes short.

The 2021 Château La Croix De Gay is mostly Merlot but includes 5% Cabernet Franc. It’s a juicy, forward wine with exotic red and blue fruits as well as plenty of floral and spicy nuances. Medium-bodied on the palate, nicely balanced, and enjoyable, it’s not going to make old bones but should keep for a decade.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 40 hl/ha, 13.3% vol. alcohol, production 23,000 bottles) Spicy, powerful bouquet with blackberries, strawberries, chocolate, and licorice. Finely structured, aromatic palate with good tannins, delicate fresh fruit, subtly muscular structure, sweet aromatics, and a long, delicately bitter finish.

(96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 40 hl/ha, 13.3% vol. alcohol, production 23,000 bottles) Spicy, powerful bouquet, blackberry, strawberry, chocolate, licorice. Finely structured, aromatic palate with good tannin, fine fresh fruit, delicately muscular structure, sweet aromatics, long, delicately bitter finish. 17/20 2028 - 2045

From the same owner as La Fleur de Gay, but this is a little more challenged by the vintage; still silky in texture with a ruby colour and raspberry fruit, yet it feels a touch underripe, with a twist of gooseberry. 40 hl/ha yield, Axel Marchal consultant.

Vanilla on the first nose, then strawberries and macerated plums. A bit on the sharp-edged side, the fruit is slightly bitter, despite a fairly indulgent finish with notes of fresh coffee.

Dark colour of medium intensity, slightly evolved. A somewhat discreet nose, with oaky notes followed by fruit. The palate is supple, smooth and fruity, developing pleasantly and becoming a little more structured on the finish. Has lost some of its brilliance.

The 2021 La Croix de Gay offers up aromas of dark berries, cherries and espresso roast, followed by a medium-bodied, ample and polished palate that's charming and seamless, with a pretty core of fruit and a moderately intense finish. It will offer attractive drinking over the near term.