Chateau Gazin 2009, Pomerol

Description

Chateau Gazin is located on Bordeaux’s Right Bank on the edge of the Pomerol plateau between Chateau Petrus and the Lalande de Pomerol appellation.

Chateau Gazin, The Modern Era

The modern era of Chateau Gazin can be traced to 1918 when the estate was purchased by Louis Soualle, of the Bailliencourt dit Courcol family, whose descendents, the fifth generation, Nicolas, Christophe, Laure et Inès de Bailliencourt dit Courcol, with Mickaël Obert as winemaker, own the Chateau today.

The Chateau is thought to be located on the site of the “Hospital of Pomeyrols”, built by the knights to receive pilgrims on the Santiago de Compostela route, reflected in the name of the property’s second wine “l’Hospitalet de Gazin”.

Vineyards on Prime Terroirs

The estate consists of a single holding of 26 hectares on the upper terrace of the Pomerol terroir. The terroir at Gazin consists of Gunzian gravel on the surface and a subsoil of blue and green clay with iron oxides (iron residues). The vineyards are planted with 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.

The average age of the vines is 35 years and the vines are planted with a density of 5,500 to 7,000 per hectare. The vines are cultivated using traditional growing methods and an environmentally-friendly approach with ploughing, organic fertilisers, minimum use of pesticides (including mating disruption), and manual harvests.

Chateau Gazin Winemaking

• Harvesting is done by hand, with each plot picked only when it reaches perfect ripeness.
• An initial sorting of the grapes is carried out in the vineyard by the pickers.
• Two additional sorting stages take place in the vat room: one before destemming and one after, to ensure optimal fruit quality.
• Alcoholic fermentation occurs in small concrete vats, with each grape variety and plot vinified separately.
• Maceration (juice and skins together) lasts two to three weeks.
• The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation.
• Ageing takes place in French oak barrels (50% new) for 18 months.
• Blending is carried out progressively during the ageing period.

Chateau Gazin 2009

The 2009 vintage produced 66,500 bottles of wine made with 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.