Château La Fleur de Gay 2020

Enticing, with a gush of warmed raspberry and mulberry preserves gliding through atop a silky structure, all backed by tobacco and incense notes on the showy finish. Drink now through 2033.

Gorgeous intensity and concentration on both nose and palate. Brimming with energy, the acidity is really marked and lively, although this also has such a dark and sticky core, almost like tar, partnered by tobacco, cinnamon and clove. Nuanced wood aspects mark the palate but don't overwhelm. Quite a specific style here. Good sculpting. Young and needs time. Pleasing, chalky minerality and a stony aspect on the finish that leaves a salty tang.

Blackberry, dark cherry, mushroom and hints of vanilla bean now. It’s full and chewy, yet the tannins are fine and layered. Plenty of energy here. This is a young Pomerol that needs four to six years to start to open. Drink after 2027.

Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Oaky, dark-fruit aroma, a little subdued. Quite sour-fresh on the palate, the freshness somehow controlling the expression of the fruit. Tannins are tight and dense. A little bit of heat and bitterness on the finish. (JH)

The 2020 La Fleur de Gay is supple, fruity and charming, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Sweet red cherry, mocha, chocolate and dried flowers open nicely in the glass. This soft, open-knit Pomerol is nicely balanced.

Once past the espresso, vanilla and cocoa, as the wine has not yet integrated its oak, you do find layers of lusciously textured, round, ripe, creamy plums and black cherries. However, this is going to take some time in the bottle to allow the oak to fade and for the beautiful, dark red fruits to begin to fully strut their stuff. Drink from 2027–2040.

Ripe dark fruit notes with cassis, cherry, aniseed and fine oak underneath. Dense and concentrated palate with good proportions between fine tannin/fresh acidity and spicy dark fruit with liquorice notes, ripe, unctuous and long with great balance already.

Red and black fruits, saddle leather, iron, and dried flower notes all emerge from the 2020 Château La Fleur De Gay, a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, opulent Pomerol that stays flawlessly balanced and light on its feet. I love its mid-palate density, and it has building yet fine tannins and the purity and length that makes this vintage such a success in Pomerol. Give bottles 3-5 years if you can and enjoy over the following 10-15.

100% Merlot, 26 hl/ha. Purple with an opaque core and ruby rim. Densely woven bouquet of black cherry, lavender notes and licorice, backed by violet perfume, milk chocolate and malt candy. On the multi-layered palate, a silky texture, granular extract, balanced verve and a well-toned body. Concentrated finish with wild cherry, graphite notes, walnut shell and a finely sandy astringency.

Kunz Barrel Sample 2021: a creamy, dense, full, powerful, complex bouquet of Damassine plums, strawberries, pralines, flint, nougat. Dense, creamy, multi-layered, elegant palate with dense, precise fruit, fine tannins, a diverse, dense, sweet-toned aromatics profile, finely opulent structure, and a very long, dense, full finish with plenty of lingering flavours.

Creamy, dense, full, powerful, complex bouquet: Damassine plums, strawberries, pralines, flint, nougat. Dense, creamy, multi-layered, elegant palate with ripe, fine fruit, fine tannins, a varied, dense and sweet aromatic profile, a finely opulent structure, and a very long, dense, full finish with plenty of lingering flavors. 19/20 2026 - 2050

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 La Fleur de Gay needs some coaxing to release notes of fresh juicy plums, baked blackberries, and kirsch, leading to wafts of bay leaves and wet slate. The full-bodied palate is taut with muscular black fruits and earthy accents, supported by nice ripe tannins and just enough freshness, finishing savory.

A great deal of finesse in the bouquet of Fleur de Gay 2020. Inviting nuances of licorice wood, blackberry and spices. Mirroring the bouquet, the palate is elegant and refined. Harmonious, with well-integrated tannins that provide solid support. A pleasurable wine that can already be approached in its youth.