Chateau Le Gay 2013

Lightly singed vanilla and cocoa hints glide through the alluring plum and raspberry fruit, with a light sandalwood frame on the finish. Very silky, showing subtle persistence and lovely fruit. Drink now through 2018. 778 cases made, 250 cases imported.

Le Gay took care not to extract more than the vintage could deliver, and the result is a suave wine with excellent balance. There's intensity and charm on the nose with cherry and raspberry fruit. The succulence of the palate is supported by ripe tannins that give texture and spice. This stylish Pomerol has better length than most of its peers.

This red exhibits aromas of plum and currant with hints of chocolate. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a caressing, textured finish. Harmonious. Better in 2019 but already delicious to drink.

Tasted blind. Mid garnet. Dark and fresh on the nose. A bit stalky on the palate and relatively light, but the tannins are light enough to finish in balance. (JH)

Medium-bodied and finesse-driven in style, the fruits are fresh, spicy, and vibrant, but the wine clearly lacks the depth to age for years. You’re best off drinking this earthy, red-plum-filled charmer in its youth.

Aromatic nose with floral notes, violet, dark berries, chocolate and fine spices. Quite dense fruit, rounded with good extract and high freshness, balanced but young and restrained.

Deep, dense purple. A magnificent, honest and also grand bouquet, conveying not an illogical power but a fine palette of ripe fruit mixed with delicate herbal notes, with Cabernet Franc bringing seductive spice. On the palate it is meaty and juicy, the fruit shows wonderful sweetness within a pleasant extract, and this time it somehow also displays Burgundian traits, finely grippy yet with a promising and quite exciting potential. I compared it on Monday morning directly after Cheval, Evangile and Pétrus. It shows a beautiful sweetness that the others did not have to the same extent. It is increasingly establishing itself as a reliable top-tier presence in the high-end Pomerol field.

Deep purple, dense at the core, with garnet glints at the rim. A magnificent, honest and grand bouquet showing not an illogical power, but a fine array of ripe fruit interlaced with delicate herbal notes; the Cabernet Franc brings an enticing spicy touch. On the palate, fleshy and juicy, the fruit has a wonderful sweetness within a pleasant extract; this time it also shows Burgundian traits, a gentle grip, and a promising, quite exciting potential. I tasted it on Monday morning directly after Cheval, Evangile and Pétrus. It displays a beautiful sweetness that the others did not have to the same extent. It is increasingly establishing itself as a reliable fixture among top-tier Pomerol.

(90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 18 hl/ha) Velvety, dense, deep, complex bouquet, blue berries, strawberry jelly, pralines, licorice, tobacco. Tightly knit, masculine palate with powerful fruit, plenty of fine, sandy tannins, powerful, sweet aromatics, long, vigorous, fresh finish with very good aftertaste. 18/20 2022 - 2035

Soft raspberry colour, with a welcoming nose of gently smoked meat and autumnal fruits. Fresh acidity, with mandarin and pomegranate, sliding to a soft finish as the undergrowth and earth become more apparent with air. No need to wait, as with all of these, but there is charm here.

Violet-scented nose, long, velvety tannins with just the right depth.

A beautiful, generous wine with charm and spice; fairly light, with good length. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. 13°. 11,000 b.

Dark, intense, and beautiful color. Fruity, ripe nose with a hint of orange. Lovely sappy palate, very fruity, aromatic, with softness, flavor, and a spicy, fruity, creamy finish. It’s very good.

92–94. Barrel Sample. Here's a complex, rich wine that has fine acidity as well as ripe blackberry fruits. It's certainly firmly structured, but it has the flesh to support it.