One of the best Le Gays in years. Full-bodied and polished with superfine tannins. Layered. Goes on for minutes. - March 2017

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Le Gay has a rock star nose of flamboyant Black Forest cake, crushed redcurrants and lilacs scents with underlying nuances of yeast extract, wood smoke, iron ore and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, the palate truly struts its stuff with generous black and red fruits and a fantastic line of super ripe tannins, building to a very long, seductively perfumed finish.

One of the most underrated wines from the Pomerol 'plateau'. Sultry, smoky nose, dark fruit and a little exotic spice - very 2000 in style! Densely packed palate, chock full of ripe dark fruit and a real juiciness to the mid palate. Mineral and clean on the finish which is long and bright. - April 2017

As with the La Violette, the 2016 Château Le Gay shows a slightly more elegant, structured style yet still packs rocking levels of fruit and texture. Mulled dark fruits, new saddle leather, camphor, and tobacco all give way to a full-bodied Pomerol that has building tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It’s still holding things close to its vest, and while I miss some of the sheer opulence found in vintages such as 2005, 2009, and 2010, this is still going to be brilliant. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and it should shine for two decades or more.

In a vintage in which so many wines are flashy, the 2016 Le Gay is sculpted, precise and full of nuance. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, violet and licorice open up nicely, but it is the wine's translucence and sense of understatement that make it one of the most compellingly delicious Pomerols of the year. Michel Rolland consults. Tasted two times. - vinous.com, April 2017

The 2016 Le Gay has an impressive bouquet of intense black cherry, raspberry, black truffle and smoke aromas that waft temptingly from the glass. The palate is rounded on the entry, and supple, caressing and fleshy in the mouth, offering mocha-tinged red fruit, tobacco and a splash of white pepper toward the quite persistent finish. Very fine, though I suspect the 2015 will be a notch better in the long run. - vinous.com, Jan 2019

Very expressive, this nearly gushes with warm blueberry, plum and blackberry reduction notes while chocolate and melted licorice flavors fill in the background. Has fruit to burn, but might just be a bit shy on spine for the longer haul. - James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, April 2017)

Touches of heat are evident on the attack, but the palate is quickly deepened by lashings of black fruits. There's plenty to like here and the texture is gorgeously silky, but just be aware it has broad and fairly inflexible shoulders.

Tasted blind. Coffee grounds and a hint of bitterness. Tight and tense. Long. Rich start but not sweet overall. A little cool, and it fell away in the glass. (JR)