Château La Fleur de Gay 2010

For those who favor a truly decadent Merlot, look no further than Château Fleur de Gay.  This Pomerol producer yields some of the most opulent, hedonistic, and luscious expressions of the varietal during top vintages.  Though the estate is a relatively new property compared to some of the other estates in Pomerol, the trajectory of Château Fleur de Gay has been an exciting one once it hit its stride in 1988.  With its small production and profound wines, Château Fleur de Gay is without a doubt a treasure of Pomerol.

Though Château La Fleur de Gay is a younger property, the family that runs it has been a prominent force in the wine trade since 1477.  Official records of the estate date back to 1772, and the first owner was Jean Brugnet.  The story goes Château La Fleur de Gay was created because the owners of La Croix de Gay wanted to create a 100% Merlot wine produced from some of the oldest vines in the La Croix de Gay vineyards. In 1982 they created Château La Fleur de Gay and once they perfected things within their operation, the 1988 was a great vintage for the estate.  Initially Michel Rolland was the consultant at Château La Fleur de Gay, but he was subsequently replaced by Alain Raynaud, who worked with Colgin Cellars in Napa Valley and Moraga Vineyards in Southern California.  Alain’s influence and understanding of both the terroir and varietals helped the estate craft some legendary vintages.

The terroir near Château Fleur de Gay is enviable to say the least.  A combination of varying types of gravel, with clay soils that rise to 38 meters at their highest elevation.  The chief varietal used in the grand vin is Merlot, and it thrives in the water absorbing clay.  Château Fleur de Gay has excellent neighbors, including Château Clinet and LEglise Clinet who sit on the edge of the prestigious Pomerol plateau.  With such precious terroir, other famous producers throughout Bordeaux were bound to take notice. In June 2012 the owners of Château Lafite Rothschild purchased a large parcel of vines from La Croix de Gay that enabled them to expand their Pomerol property Château LEvangile.  Once that happened, Alain Raynaud ceased working for Château La Croix de Gay and Château La Fleur de Gay.

Production at Château La Fleur de Gay is traditional, and the wine is vinified in 2 concrete vats of varying sizes.  The wine is then aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 18 months prior to being bottled.  Château La Fleur de Gay demands about 7 to 9 years of bottle age for it to reveal its subtle intricacies and reach its full potential.  With all that in mind, it is very much worth the wait.  During top vintages the grand vin is described as silky, velvety, and almost dessert-like.  One can expect aromas of chocolate aplenty, mixed with truffle, spice, and the blackest plums.

"A pretty, elegant wine that is 100% Merlot but a very limited production (around 700-800 cases in most years), the 2010 displays good integration of oak and mulberry, plum and black raspberry fruit intermixed with some licorice, underbrush, vanillin and spice box. This is a voluptuously textured, round, seductive style of Pomerol to drink over the next 12-15 years." - Robert Parker Jr, The Wine Advocate, (2/27/2013, Issue 205), Rating: 93, Drink: 2013-2028