CHÂTEAU LE GAY
2013 Pomerol
Very oaky but harmonious first nose. Actually quite real - unforced and densely attractive, but then the tannins get the upper hand - but this feels like it will come out OK, if never very distinctive Rating: 88 L&S (Apr 2014)
* 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.
A successful effort in this vintage, the 2013 Le Gay is more muscular than most Pomerols (with the exception of Trotanoy). It has a dark ruby color, blue and red fruits, a pronounced acid profile and a medium-bodied finish. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. 2014-2022 Rating: 85-87 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Aug 2014)
(90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc): Bright ruby. Dark cherry, blackcurrant and violet on the perfumed nose and palate. Nicely rich and dense, displaying a lovely sugar/acid balance. This struck me as having gentler tannins than some recent overextracted wines from this estate. Rating: 87-90 Ian d'Agata - Stephen Tanzer website (May 2014)
The mix of black fruits feels ripe the start of the palate sweet fruited. The rich middle is balanced by bramble freshness at the back and the finish is a bit tight the firm fruit rather over dominated by the oak at this stage. 2018-28. Rating: 88-91 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2014)
Yields were low at only 18 hectolitres per hectare at the château and it shows in the wine: rich, aromatic and quite serious with flavours of black and red cherries, fresh acidity, good oak integration and a refreshing finish. Still very youthful. 2018-24 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2014)
Gentle red berry aroma and flavour. Well handled extraction. Stays on the fruit. Lighter but fine. Drink: 2017-2025. Rating: 16.5 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2014)
The Le Gay 2013 has a refined bouquet, well defined with dark plum and blackberry fruit, hints of seaweed and black pepper, tight at first but unfurling with time. The palate is very elegant - so supple on the entry, extremely pure with a gentle finish that is less tannic and powerful than recent vintages, but extremely well focused, finishing with a salty tang on the end of the tongue. This continues the purple patch for Le Gay, though not a patch on recent vintages that peaked with the astonishing 2010. Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
Excellent depth and balance for the vintage, with blackberry, dark-chocolate and mineral character. Full body, harmonious and well crafted. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2014)
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.