Château Vray Croix de Gay 2023

Enchanting bouquet with raspberries, mint, herbs, and floral notes; a fresh palate with peppery spice, almost spicy on the finish, and remarkably long. An excellent Pomerol.

Bramble bushes and freshly picked black summer berries with some dark chocolate elements. A little dark and sticky, quite savoury and toasted but not from the oak, with hints of bitter coffee and liquorice and warming blackcurrant and black cherry fruit. Smooth and streamlined, this has a lovely precise and fresh element to the fruit, clean and crystalline. It’s not so plush, more linear, but it doesn’t feel like it’s missing any concentration or power. pH 3.75. Yield 34 hl/ha. Ageing 18 months, 30% new.

The 2023 Vray Croix de Gay is a very pretty, brilliant wine. Brisk acids perk up a core of dark-toned fruit. Grilled herbs, new leather, lavender and licorice are nicely sculpted. I especially admire the wine's energy. Floral overtones lift the finish. I would give this a few years in bottle, as the acids and tannins are a bit prominent. Harvest began on September 7 with the Merlots and wrapped up on September 20 with the Francs.

Violets, chocolate, truffle, black cherries, and licorice form the perfume. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine is elegant, supple, soft, and silky. The wine is fresh, vibrant, clean, and pure, finishing with creamy, chocolate-covered cherries, black raspberries, and a hint of Indian spice. The wine blends 98% Merlot with 2% Cabernet Franc. This is the second vintage produced by the same team that also makes Calon Segur. Drink from 2027-2045.

98% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Complex black-berry bouquet, graphite, seductive violets and elderberry jelly. On the sublime palate, delicately firm texture, subtle toasted notes, graphite and a hint of dark chocolate. In the focused, finely aromatic finish, black-berry contours, dark minerality and fine-grained extract.

Score: 92–94. Lovely red fruit, rich and generous, joins peony and violet aromas in a bouquet that dances under the nose. A charming texture caresses the palate, with perfectly ripe fruit and notes of tobacco and roasted coffee, for a wine that will win everyone over.

The 2% Cabernet Franc makes its presence felt through floral nuances and a welcome touch of freshness in an otherwise decidedly warm setting. Dense on the attack, the wine unfolds in a linear, continuous way, without a hitch, right through to the finish. It is well supported by powerful tannins, softened by the charm of the Merlot and a refreshing tension, while bitters underpin the finish and its persistence. I think the latter could use a bit more fleshing out; given the substance on display, time should take care of that.

This feels comfy, with a soft texture, but persistent flavors of warmed plum, cherry and raspberry preserves are imbued with rooibos tea and incense notes. Picks up a showy ganache edge through the finish, giving this some bling. A seductive wine. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2037. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.

Luscious texture here, goes long on aniseed and liquorice, with supple tannins. Harvest 4-15 September, with a good 10 days in between Merlot and Cab Franc. First vintage made fully in Pomerol, in the new winery (to comply with the Pomerol rules). Not tasted En Primeur.

Deep, intense red color. A highly aromatic nose, fruity, smooth and creamy. Fresher with a swirl of the glass. Precise on the attack, very aromatic through the mid-palate, with a melting texture, the wine stretches out into a long, creamy finish. Wonderfully well-structured overall and unspittable. This is the second vintage to gain a new smoothness under the guidance of Vincent Millet, also the winemaker at Calon Segur.