The 2008 Le Gay is a beauty. Still lively colored, with a complex bouquet of blackcurrants, savory cherries, earth, and dried herbs, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, fine, elegant tannin, and a silky, layered, seamless texture. It has a beautiful finish and is an incredibly classy, elegant wine. Feb 2019

One of the top successes of the vintage, the 2008 Le Gay, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc (13.5% alcohol) was produced from tiny yields of 25 hectoliters per hectare. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet nose of spring flowers intermixed with blueberries, blackberries, dark raspberries, crushed rocks and white chocolate. Full-bodied, super intense and extremely promising (although it is unusually backward for a 2008), it will benefit from 5-7 years of cellaring and may merit an even higher score in a decade or so. It should last for 30+ years, making it one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage.

Just starting to develop its secondary aromatic profile you find truffle, licorice, smoke, wet earth and sweet red fruits. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, lush, round and tannic. The wine needs at least 5 more years in the cellar to allow for more softening and secondary development. Tastes Sept 2018

The 2008 Le Gay has a very refined bouquet with intense, quite pure blackberry, briary and black truffle scents, an engaging sense of mineralité and terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, very good density, a sinewy Le Gay that is bold and structured. My only quibble? It just lacks the complexity and finesse on the finish. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.) (vinous)