Farr Vintners Logo

Le Gay 2019

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

Formerly owned by the same family as neighbour Chateau Lafleur, the 6.5 hectare Le Gay is now owned by the family of the late Catherine Péré-Vergé along with other Pomerol properties Montviel and la Violette. The vineyard is planted with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with vines around 50 years old. It has been producing outstanding Pomerols in recent vintages. The 2018 yield was 35 hl/ha picked from 19th September to October 3rd. Double-sorted by bunch and single berry. 100% micro-vinified in new oak. 14.5 alcohol. Production 20,000 bottles.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château le Gay

Label

Tasting Notes

This is a luscious and beautiful young wine with blackberry, hazelnut, dark-chocolate and black-olive character. It’s full and layered with round, soft tannins and a caressing finish. Great finish. Seductive young wine. Best after 2027 and onwards.

98
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2022

The 2019 Château Le Gay is a spicy, already complex, yet structured Pomerol that has some up-front appeal, yet will unquestionably benefit from bottle age. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a medium to full-bodied, ripe, nicely textured Pomerol that has abundant spiced red and black fruits, notes of dried herbs, loamy earth, and spicy oak, ripe, velvety tannins, and plenty of length on the finish. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. It should merit that higher barrel score at maturity.

96+
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, April 2022

The 2019 Le Gay is rich and powerful, offering up aromas of cherries, berry fruit liqueur, kirsch and dark chocolate, framed by a lavish application of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it's a ripe, heady wine with low acidity and plenty of powdery tannin, showing a touch of alcoholic heat on the finish. From a site that naturally delivers early and elevated maturity, with heat-retentive gravel over clay soils, it's all fermented in barrel to permit extreme selection, picking small lots within parcels in pursuit of optimal maturity. There's no doubting the quality of the site or the attention to detail in the cellar, but to my palate, this flirts with over-ripeness; my score gives it the benefit of the doubt. Drink 2021-2039.

92
William Kelley, RobertParker.com (April 2022), April 2022

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Le Gay springs forth with exuberant scents of crushed black cherries, warm blueberries and boysenberries with nuances of cedar chest, Indian spices, licorice and chargrill. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of ripe black fruits and loads of spicy sparks, framed by plush tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and decadent.

93/95+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (June 2020 ), June 2020

Tasted blind. Mid blackish garnet. Animal, gamey nose. Dense and rich and ambitious. Luscious texture. 15%
Drink 2026– 2038

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2023

The 2019 is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc which is micro-vinified and aged in 100% new oak. The yield is 35hl/ha, giving a production of roughly 25,000 bottles. The abv is 14.5%. Deep purple in colour with a fleshy nose of blueberry and ripe red cherries. There is a sweet cherry cola and vanilla note to the oak on the palate, making for a hedonistic and ripe impression. The fruit is full of violets and dark cherries, with seamless and soft tannins through to the finish. Succulent, heady and creamy.

92/94
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, May 2020
Read more tasting notes...

Wow. Very focused and decadent with lots of crushed berry, coffee and chocolate character. It’s full-bodied, yet energetic and focused with chewy tannins. Big wine for the vintage, yet fresh and bright at the end.

96/97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, June 2020
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.