Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The subtle beauty of the nose is so impressive, with dark chocolate, coffee and blackberry aromas that follow through to a medium body with firm tannins and a creamy and polished finish. Racy and very long. 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A more elegant, finesse-driven Pomerol that grows on you with time in the glass, the 2023 Château Le Gay has spicy red and black fruits, sappy herbs, flowers, and camphor on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, graceful, layered mouthfeel, fine tannins, and outstanding length. It blossoms with air and needs 4-5 years of bottle age to really shine but will reward patience with a solid two decades or more of prime drinking.
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Vinous
The 2023 Le Gay is intensely aromatic, floral and quite pretty. Crushed flowers, spice, mint, herbs, licorice and tobacco meld into a core of dark red/purplish berry fruit. All the elements are very nicely balanced in this stylish, mid-weight Pomerol from the Parent family. The 2023 is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc vinified entirely in 100% new French oak barrels. Élevage is projected to be 14 months, about 2 months shorter than normal. Tasted two times. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Wine Spectator
Shows a steeped edge, with black tea and incense swirling around a core of gently warmed blackberry, boysenberry and plum compote flavors. Fleshy, with hints of ganache and singed anise on the finish giving a slightly exotic tilt that grows steadily in the glass. Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The Château Le Gay in 2023 is a big-boned, confidently styled wine that glides long and lovingly across the palate, delivering deep black-fruit flavors layered with graphite and mineral nuance. It has the breadth and polish to resonate strongly in New World markets while remaining true to its Pomerol roots. Enjoy it in a Paris bistro alongside an in-vogue entrecôte de bœuf au poivre—a well-marbled rib steak seared hard, finished with a creamy cracked-peppercorn sauce and crisp frites—whose savory richness and spice echo the wine’s structure and depth. (Tasted: January 22, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
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Decanter
Dark fruit, smoky and noticeable oak-derived aromas. The attack is broad, yet concentrated, even powerful, with a full-bodied texture showcasing plum and blackberry. An impressive wine but also noticeable tannin extraction that dries a bit. Let's see how it shows after the barrel ageing.
Barrel Sample: 92
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.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.