2005 Gazin

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 30/04/2008
An exuberant, sweet bouquet of caramelized black cherries and currants interwoven with tapenade, toasty oak, earth, and truffles soars from the glass of this dark purple-hued 2005. It is a rich, concentrated, full-bodied, impressive effort displaying well-integrated wood and unobtrusive acidity. This is the finest Gazin since the brilliant 2001. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2028.

Gazin is typically oaky, tannic, and backward in its youth, but the 2005 is more open-knit and not as aggressively woody. It possesses an impressive color as well as a moderately intense nose of black cherries, berries, caramel, subtle pain grille, roasted herbs, and black and red fruits. Medium-bodied, elegant, and pure, it should be at its finest between 2013-2025. P.S. I should note that three separate samples were slightly different in quality, two of which were better than this numerical score suggests. The ultimate truth won't be known until the wine comes out in bottle, but I believe it will correspond to this review. (90-93)

The Château Gazin 2005 is a little green and herbaceous on the nose, which is a trait that I often found with this Pomerol during this era. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly dry tannin, moderate depth but it does not quite flow towards the finish, feels a little stilted compared to others, like a child actor forgetting its line on stage. This is one Pomerol where I much prefer Nicolas de Bailliencourt’s recent vintages such as 2009 and 2010.

Dark red; fresh,minerally red fruit nose; fullish, firm, fresh in acidity, and finely tannic; ripe, sweet, vivid flavour, with a lovely depth, a gentle, minerally complexity and excellent fruit length. Will need a bit of time, but this is very good middle rank Pomerol. Give it a few years yet! 2018-30+