The vineyard of Château GAZIN covers an area of 26 ha in one piece located on the high terrace of the terroir of Pomerol. The soil is composed of Günzian gravels and includes, in the subsoil, blue and green clays including iron oxides (iron fats). These clays (smectites) allow a regular and moderate supply of the vine in water, characteristic of great terroirs. The clay-gravelly subsoil of the Pomerol plateau is the essence of the terroir of Château GAZIN.
The vineyard is planted with 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.
The average age of the vines is 35 years. 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 fertilizers, minimum use of pesticides (including mating disruption), and manual harvests.
The harvests are carried out by hand, as each plot reaches perfect ripeness. The grapes undergo an initial sorting in the vineyard, carried out by the pickers. Two further sorting stages take place in the vat room, before and after removal of the stalks, to optimize the quality of the fruit.
Alcoholic fermentation takes place in small concrete vats, separated by grape variety and plot, the juice and skins are then left to macerate for two to three weeks. The free-run wine is then drawn off and kept separate from the wine obtained by pressing the residue (“marc”). The second fermentation, or malolactic fermentation, is then carried out, each grape variety being kept separate, either in barrels or vats, depending on the quality of the batches.
The wines are then transferred to oak barrels (50% new barrels). They mature for 18 months, during which the wines are progressively blended during meticulous rackings approximately every 3 months. The contact with the fine lees and the oak tannins gradually adds structure and complexity, enabling the production of wines that can be laid down and that will improve over time.
Feminine and seductive, due to the dominance of the Merlot, Château GAZIN’s wines can be enjoyed after a few years in the bottle, but usually they are worth laying down for fifteen, twenty years or more.
Their sumptuous generosity offers a wide aromatic range of red and black fruit which harmonizes with their intense crimson or garnet red colour. They typically offer hints of plum, chocolate, coffee or liquorice, with aromas of almonds, toast, tobacco and vanilla, and a minty freshness.
With maturity they develop a spicy nose, with a hint of truffles, notes of undergrowth, game, fur and leather...