CHÂTEAU GAZIN
2016 Pomerol
90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc. Tasted at Nenin, a ripe, dry Merlot warmth and grip. Not refreshing, drying finish. Drinking range: 2026 - 2035 Rating: 88-89 L&S (Apr 2017)
* 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.
Bursting with Pomerol goodness, this was bought by my father during last year's Christmas celebrations (he misread the price on the label if I am really levelling with you, but he was thrilled with his mistake!). Plum pudding, incense, cocoa bean, cappuccino, creamy raspberry fruits, just tannic enough to be serious without being overly constrictive, thoroughly enjoyable. Ready to drink but will age. Drinking range: 2024 - 2042 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (Dec 2024)
The 2016 Gazin has a ripe bouquet featuring copious red berry fruit, orange peel, hints of dark chocolate and a dab of iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fresh and very lithe in the mouth, and silky-smooth, although it does not boast the greatest depth. This is a very well made wine that should not require extended cellaring but will give years of pleasure. It may be entering a dumb phase, though. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2020 - 2050 Rating: 93+ Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Aug 2020)
The 2016 Château Gazin is outstanding, but it’s firm, straight, and closed, and would certainly be better with more flesh and opulence. Vivid ruby/purple-colored, with notes of cassis and black raspberries as well as spring flowers, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, firm tannins, terrific purity, and a clean finish. The blend is 87% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Cabernet Franc. It’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15+. Drinking range: 2021 - 2036 Rating: 91+ Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)
The 2016 Gazin is a blend of 87% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc this year, picked from 22 September with respect to the Merlot and from around 7 or 8 October for the Cabernet Franc. Now this has quite a powerful bouquet for Gazin, more heightened fruit compared to recent vintages with blackberry, briary and pressed flower aromas that are well defined (although my sample demanded two or three minutes to really find its voice). The palate is medium-bodied with a gently grip on the entry. I adore the tannic structure to this Gazin, equidistant between masculine and feminine, a backbone that will ensure this will age over many years. There is abundant, lightly spiced black fruit with a touch of cracked black pepper and clove towards the finish. The 50% new oak will add a little muscle onto the finish, thereupon you will have a really marvelous Gazin that will give three years of drinking pleasure, possibly more. Drinking range: 2023 - 2055 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
Dark crimson. Rich, shiny, blackberry aromas. Sinew and a dry but not drying finish. A little austere and lacking juice but creditable. Correct. Drinking range: 2024 - 2037 Rating: 16.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2017)
Ripe and engaging, with a pretty display of cherry, raspberry and blueberry fruit flavors that stay fresh, carried by silky structure through the inviting finish. Not super-dense, but really lovely fruit. Rating: 91-94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2017)
Tight and silky with plum, blackberry and blueberry character. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and silky. Very linear and bright. A pretty follow-up to the stupendous 2015. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2017)
Classic, almost savoury fruits here, among the most left bank in style of all the Pomerols with cassis and black pepper spice. It's a wine that steals up on you - I tasted it several times and became increasingly impressed by the construction and the measured delivery of excellence. A full 13% of Cabernets here, split between 5% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, the highest proportion of the latter for many years. Drinking range: 2027 - 2045 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2017)
The 2016 Gazin is bold and powerful, yet also retains striking freshness and energy throughout. Sweet red plum, blood orange, wildflowers and mint are some of the many notes that are delineated in this super-classy, refined Pomerol. All the elements come together effortlessly in the glass. The 2016 is not a big Pomerol; rather, it is a wine that impresses with its nuanced expression of the vintage. Hints of smoke, tobacco and grilled herbs add closing shades of complexity. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2017)
This doesn’t quite hit the same heights as the 2015, but it’s still a very stylish Pomerol, with plenty of zip, perfume and backbone from the Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. The tannins are a little firm, but should soften in bottle. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2017)
Château Gazin
It is said that Château Gazin occupies the site of an old Knights of St John hospital that tended to pilgrims on their journey to Santiago de Compostella - a legend that is reflected in the cross on the label and in the name of the second wine, l'Hospitalet de Gazin. During the 19th Century, Gazin was one of the most highly regarded estates in Pomerol. The Bailliencourt family came into the estate by marriage in the early years of the 20th Century but, sadly, their tenure has mostly been of a château in decline. However, the estate's inheritance by the dynamic Nicolas de Bailliencourt in the 1980's has completely turned Gazin around and, once again, it is one of the châteaux to watch. The machine harvesters, bought as recently as 1979, were disposed of, a new chais was built, the second wine was introduced to allow stricter selection for the grand vin, and the services of Pomerol guru Jean-Pierre Moueix were engaged. The wine is typically 90% Merlot and spends 18 months in barrique, of which 50% are new wood.
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.