| Producer | Château Le Gay |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | Pomerol |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 16347 |
| Size | 750ml |
A juicy and polished Le Gay with full body and tannins which are nicely melted into the wine. Dark berry, chocolate and spice character. Savory finish.
A step up over the 2020, the 2022 Château Le Gay brings more richness and depth and has a great nose of red and black fruits, flowery incense, baking spices, and scorched earth. Medium to full-bodied, nicely textured, and balanced, it shines for its purity of fruit as well its silky tannins. This should have some early accessibility yet still evolve for decades.
Intensely perfumed and ripe on the nose, potent and smells a bit alcoholic. Ripe and fruit forward, smooth and supple, this has nice energy and motion despite the clear concentration of the fruit. Acidity is high and has a soft sweetness too, giving some extra nuance and shine to the palate. Well controlled, bright and vibrant - this packs a punch in terms of flavour and tannic strength although is also juicy, really bright and tangy. The tannins need to meld more with the acidity but there's lots of potential here. Rolland & Associés consultants. HVE certified. A yield of 23hl/ha. Tasted three times.
The 2022 Le Gay was picked 5-19 September and vinified in new oak barrels. This takes time to unfold on the nose: tertiary red berry fruit, smoke and truffle, moderate intensity with a light marine element. The palate is medium-bodied, with a slightly lactic texture on the entry, flecks of dark chocolate on the red fruit, gentle grip with quite a firm finish. It maybe just misses a bit of flair at the moment but I suspect it will come around with time. There is something sultry, atypically introspective about this Le Gay, hence my prudent score.
The 2022 Le Gay offers up aromas of rich cassis, menthol and toasty new oak, followed by a full-bodied, rich and rather muscular palate framed by sweet, liberally extracted tannins that assert themselves on the finish. While this remains quite a chunky, stylized wine, defined by its fermentation in new oak barriques, it is comparatively restrained for this estate in such an extreme vintage.
Not shy with the toast, this offers a layer of mocha and açaí paste draped over fresher flavors of raspberry and red currant coulis. The fruit shows persistence through the finish, but this seems more about power than range or freshness. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2038.
Sign up for the Meritage Wine Market newsletter and be among the first to know about upcoming specials at the store!
