CHÂTEAU LE GAY
2012 Pomerol
One of the smokier 2012s in this line up, showing mocha, grilled almonds, tar and campfire. Good quality, ready to drink at 10 years old but still with structure and exuberance. The oak impact remains a little distracting, but there is plenty of Pomerol signature and plump black fruits on display. 100% new oak, 30hl/h yield. Chantal Raynaud sole owner at this point, as her brother Alain Raynaud had sold his shares in 2010. Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Mar 2022)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Ripe plums give richness on the nose and fleshiness on the palate. The mid palate is juicy sweet ripe fruited lots of damson plum with the supple richness balanced by fresher fruit that gives brightness on the finish. 2020-35.Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2013)
In this year, Le Gay has undergone micro-vinification in barrel (Darnajou) for the first time. It is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc cropped at 30hl/ha between 8th and 11th October. It has a very pure, natural, refined bouquet with redcurrant, raspberry, wild hedgerow and a touch of orange blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite tart on the entry with a touch of piquancy. This is a more compact Le Gay compared to the 2011 at the moment, but it will mellow and gain volume throughout its maturation. There is very good focus on the finish – a fine mid-term Le Gay to drink between 7 and 15 years. Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)
A backward, muscular style of Le Gay, the 2012 exhibits a dense blue/purple color as well as sweet blueberry and black raspberry notes intermixed with notions of forest floor and earth. Following the lovely bouquet, the tannins kick in and the wine shuts down. It is a muscular, rugged, full-bodied Pomerol that requires 7-10 years of cellaring. It should keep for three decades thereafter. 2020 - 2050 Rating: 91 - 93+ Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)
Not quite as good as La Violette in 2012, but this is still a fitting tribute to the late Catherine Péré-Vergé’s memory. It’s an ambitious Pomerol that eschews easy drinkability in favour of the longer haul: rich, dense, oaky and structured with hints of violets on the nose and dark, brooding fruit. Classy stuff. Drink: 2022-35 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2013)
Very rich and deep. Super heady and with some essence of blackberry to it. Very thick and deep and unctuous. Sweet and rich and thick. Petit Verdot…2016 - 2028. Rating: 17.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)
Ripe and bold but fresh. Fleshy fruit softens firm tannins. Long finish. Drink: 2018 - 2028. Rating: 16.75 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2013)
A polished, suave style, with alluring plum sauce, melted black licorice and fruitcake notes backed by a solidly built finish of plum skin and black tea. Shows ample stuffing. Rating: 92-95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2013)
Château le Gay
Château le Gay, and near-by Château Lafleur, were owned by sisters Therese and Marie Robin for some sixty years. In the later years of their tenure, the management of the estate had been largely entrusted to the Moueix family with whom it was mostly expected that the estate would end up. But when Marie Robin died and her heirs had to sell one of the estates to meet inheritance duties, it was Catherine Pere-Verge who emerged as the owner of le Gay. Catherine had spent 40 years working for the family crystal ware business before deciding to semi-retire by buying a château in Pomerol. She started at Château Montveil where she garnered sufficient enthusiasm for the life of a vigneron to throw her hat into the ring with the better sited Château le Gay. She, subsequently, went on to buy the set to be iconic Château la Violette. On buying Château le Gay, Catherine installed new wine making facilities and increased the size of the vineyard by planting some previous unplanted land. Even with the newer vines, the average age of the vineyard is still 40 years old, planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.