Château La Fleur de Gay 2012

Supple, fairly elegant, with medium density and length, and a floral finish that feels somewhat forced.

A real strong effort from La Fleur de Gay, this wine (100% Merlot) has a dense purple color, sweet black cherry fruit, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, excellent purity, depth and length. Again, the oak is well-hidden behind a luxurious level of fruit. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.

This has a range of dark plum, boysenberry and blackberry fruit flavors, along with alluring charcoal, black tea and roasted juniper notes. The solid, fleshy finish pulls everything together, while dark chocolate details linger. Best from 2017 through 2024. 375 cases made.

A full-bodied Pomerol with lots of ripe and rich fruit that gives a coffee and smoke undertone. Soft and velvety tannins. Better in 2018.

An intensely floral bouquet emerges from the 2012 La Fleur de Gay. Hints of violet, lavender, spice and mint open into a core of blue and purplish-hued fruit. The oak is a bit evident today given the wine's mid-weight structure, but overall, this is a more than solid effort.

Earth, wet clay, smoke and black raspberries open the nose. On the palate, the wine is soft, medium-bodied and plummy with a blast of black licorice on the finish

Floral and mineral with lovely wild fruit, mineral notes, good concentration but soft extraction, spicy and roasted with a rather long persistence.

Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Expansive bouquet, cassis, bramble blackberries, black pepper, with smoky contours from the old Merlots underneath. On the palate, velvety, noble, full in aromatics, restrained in its winemaking style, with spicy kernels on the finish. Once a showy cuvée, today it is a truly brilliant, delicacy-like Pomerol.

Extremely dark purple with lilac and violet highlights. Expansive bouquet of cassis, bramble blackberry, black pepper, with smoky contours from the old Merlots underneath. On the palate, velvety, elevated, full of aroma, crafted in a restrained vinification style, with spicy kernel notes on the finish. Once a rather showy blend, it is now a truly brilliant, delicacy‑styled Pomerol.

Creamy, opulent, sweet, powerful bouquet; black berries, plums, pralines, mint, grain, cedar. Generous, dense palate with powerful, sweet fruit, plenty of fine tannins, velvety structure, powerful, complex aromatics, and a powerful, aromatic finish with sweet after-notes. Can improve further. 18/20 2018 - 2038

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2012 La Fleur de Gay skips out with ready-to-go notes of kirsch, raspberry coulis, and fruitcake, plus suggestions of cigar box, menthol, and cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate is soft and spicy, with relatively low acidity and an opulent finish.

The vineyard area has been slightly reduced (a plot was sold to l'Evangile), but this pure Merlot is still aged in new oak. This dense, structured Pomerol with lovely substance shows beautiful aromas, a generous body, and very firm tannins. Give it some bottle age.

The nose is fruity and creamy, but the palate, while aromatic, remains somewhat restrained in its expression.