Château Le Gay Pomerol
In 1872, a portion of the estate was sold which gave rise to Château Lafleur. In 1946, it passed to the Robin sisters (Thérèse and Marie) who also owned Château Lafleur. The wine was made by Jean Pierre Mouiex who purchased some portions of the estate to expand the Moueix Estates held by Château Lafleur Pétrus.
The Moueix touch, like that of Midas but with a lot more foresight, patience and hard work, paid off with improving fortunes for Château Le Gay. The estate was purchased by the late Catherine Péré-Vergé in 2002. Her son, Henri Parent, took over the estate in 2013 and has continued the trend increasing the prestige of the estate.
Château Le Gay’s 10 plus hectares of clay and gravel soil on the Pomerol plateau are planted to around 90% Merlot.
Pomerol, on the Right Bank of Bordeaux’s Gironde River, produces some of the world’s most sought-after wines, including those from such storied properties as Chateau Petrus. Yet Pomerol, the smallest of the fine-wine-producing districts of Bordeaux, offers no Grand Cru or Premier Cru wines: It’s the most significant Bordeaux appellation not included in any quality ranking. At the time of the historic 1855 Classification of Bordeaux, Right Bank chateaux were considered remote and difficult to travel to, and so were ignored by the merchants who created the classification. (St. Émilion, a notable neighbour on the Right Bank, created its own classification system in 1954.)
Pomerol has managed to do quite well without this form of validation. Pomerol’s predominantly clay soil is ideally suited for Merlot, the primary grape used in the appellation. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are also included in Pomerol’s blended red wines. The wines of Pomerol are lush and rich, and generally not as tannic as the Cabernet-based wines of Bordeaux’s Left Bank. Although Pomerol’s very best wines are capable of aging for decades, most are made for immediate consumption. These Merlot-based wines are known for their lush texture, elegance and grace, as well as the softer tannins they offer in comparison to the Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines made elsewhere in Bordeaux.
