Winemaker Notes
Deep garnet color with subtle brick hues on the rim, showing signs of graceful bottle aging. An elegant and complex bouquet of ripe black fruits (blackcurrant, plum), layered with tertiary aromas of fine leather, blond tobacco, cedar, and forest floor. The oak aging is well-integrated, delivering subtle hints of vanilla, mocha, and cigar box. The attack is smooth and silky. The tannic structure is well-resolved yet still present, reflecting a wine at maturity with balance and harmony. The mid-palate is dense and expressive, offering notes of stewed blackberry, sweet spices (licorice, black pepper), and a refreshing touch of menthol that carries into the finish. A long and refined finish, with lingering smoky and balsamic notes typical of the great terroirs of Pessac-Léognan.
Perfect with roasted duck breast, herb-crusted rack of lamb, or aged cheeses such as Comté or aged Mimolette.
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
One of the more overt reds of the vintage, the 2014 Gazin Rocquencourt is plump, juicy and expressive. Super-ripe red cherry, pomegranate, spice, new leather and rose petal give the wine its dark, succulent personality and soft contours. Smoke, sweet floral notes and grilled herbs add attractive aromatic top notes, but in 2014, Gazin is all about fruit intensity and suppleness. This is an especially racy, voluptuous Pessac-Leognan that is ready to deliver tons of pleasure with minimal cellaring. It is not particularly complex, but it offers striking upfront sexiness. In 2014 the blend is equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This is a terrific showing from the Bonnie family and consulting winemaker Michel Rolland. Tasted three times.
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James Suckling
Fantastic aromas of dark berries, chocolate and minerals. Lavender, too. Medium body and ultra-fine tannins; this is polished and gorgeous. A triumph. Better than I remember.
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Decanter
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot, aged in 40% new oak. Lovely silky texture. Upfront power and fruit intensity packs a punch but then lightens up. Fresh finish.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and compact in feel, with a still-coiled core of fig, boysenberry and raspberry fruit framed by singed apple wood and licorice root notes. Delivers ample flesh and drive. Allow this to unwind fully in the cellar.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.