Château Gazin 2021

Merlot Gazin 2021 affiche un caractère frais et serein. Belle définition dans sa globalité avec une évidente symbiose entre fraîcheur et maturité…et cela en 2021 !!! La précision et l’éclat du bouquet annoncent un vin structuré. Le palais assume bien les annonces du bouquet. Il est également précis et de grande définition. Les tannins, avec une belle finesse de grain, offrent une puissance respectable et un côté légèrement austère qui plébiscite l’aromatique et l’allonge. Un vin de caractère, très abouti, conquérant, invitant et apte à passer du temps en cave. 2028-2050. Novembre 2023.

Black berries and black plums on the nose with some tobacco leaf, graphite and bitter chocolate. It’s focused on the palate, with firm tannins that melt and relax into the black fruit. Medium-bodied and well-structured. Mineral at the end. Try from 2025. Claire Nesbitt. November 2023.

The 2021 Gazin is a fine effort, unfurling in the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, cherries, plums, incense and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's rather rich and elegantly muscular in the context of the vintage, with a deep core of fruit, powdery tannins and bright acids. Mildew pressure combined with wet conditions that made it impossible to enter the vineyard with tractors delivered low yields of only 18 hectoliters per hectare, and the grand vin is entirely Merlot this year. Directed by Christophe de Baillencourt and overseen by Mickael Obert, this 24-hectare family-owned estate is producing its best wines in the modern era. The vineyards themselves straddle two essential soil types: gravels opposite the château and deep clays on the plateau (where the estate is a neighbor of Pétrus, to which it ceded a prime bloc in the 1960s). Herbicides have never been used here, and cover crops are the order of the day since 2018. Planted with 85% Merlot, replanting is gradually introducing a touch more Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (the latter first included in the blend with the outstanding 2019 vintage). New oak is much better integrated than was the case a decade ago, and Gazin has gained in depth and energy. The 2021 is a fine effort in a challenging year, and it's one of the vintage's more serious, structured wines. 91-93/100. William Kelley. April 2022.

Cette année, il s'agit d'un vin 100 % merlot. Les cabernets sauvignons et cabernets francs n'ont pas tenu avec les produits bio face au mildiou. Belle couleur sombre et soutenue. Nez intense, au fruité mûr et nuancé. Délicat en entrée de bouche et même un peu tendre, son profil valorise la douceur tactile et une présence qui s'installe lentement entre le milieu et la finale. Bonne longueur savoureuse, nuancée et légèrement réglissée. Beaucoup de charme. Degré d'alcool : 13°5. Rendement : 18 hl/ha. Avril 2022.

This is lifted, bright and high toned. There's some energy here with tannins that are fine but have bite and tang and support the expression and coat the mouth in grippy saltiness. A good effort this year, not trying too hard. Mouthwatering but cool and crisp with a lovely weight and frame and flavours of blueberry, liquorice, flint and dried herbs. Drinking window: 2025 - 2040. Georgina Hindle. April 2022.