2021, Château Gazin, POMEROL

Bordeaux Blend: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot.

Situated right next door to Pétrus on the Pomerol plateau.

This year Gazin is 100% Merlot produced from an extremely low yield of 18 hl/ha. Bright purple colour. The nose is very pure with fresh plums and the slightest hint of spice. The palate shows its 100% Merlot with silky, rounded fruit and moderate but refreshing acidity. Compact but soft, this supple Pomerol has a fresh finish that should make it very enjoyable in the mid-term. 90-92 Thomas Parker MW, Farr Vintners.

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. Low yield of only 18 hectoliters per hectare, and the grand vin is entirely Merlot this year. 91-93+ William Kelley.

Firm, grainy tannins accompany the core of black fruit. Medium-bodied. Stone character. Mineral, with tangy acidity. 92-93 James Suckling.

The 2021 Gazin has a harmonious, defined bouquet of red and black fruit laced with black truffle and well-integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly tough tannins on the entry. A much more linear Gazin compared to recent vintages. It pulls up a bit short now, but it should fill out during élevage. 90-92 Neal Martin.

Dark chocolate, perfume and black fruits on the nose - fragrant rose and iris petals. Succulent yet quite densely mouth-filling straight away, the chalky salinity and bitter chocolate edged tannins in full force gripping the tongue and cheeks with a blueberry, raspberry and black cherry fruit pulp. It certainly has a plushness that should see this through ageing nicely. 90 Georgina Hindle, Decanter.