2014 Intronisation to the Hospitalier de Pomerol at Château Gazin

It was and is a great honour and pleasure to be invited into the Hospitaliers de Pomerol. I was invited by Château Gazin who also hosted the event and I was fortunate enough to stay at Gazin for the weekend, a great pleasure. I arrived late Friday night and Ines de Bailliencourt welcomed me with a lovely light evening meal and a very welcoming glass of 1999 Château Gazin after the flight down from Oslo. On Saturday I took a small trip to Saint-Emilion to have a look in some wine shops before lunch at Gazin with duck, wild asparagus and no less than 2006, 2005 and again 1999 Gazin for lunch. Excellent! I took the bottle of 2005 and a glass with me into the vineyards after lunch, as there is always a special feeling to drink the wine in the vineyard where it was made, this one nine years earlier.

In the afternoon temperatures reached 34 degrees C and Ines and I jumped in the pool (no pictures) to cool down before the festivitas begun. The rest of the Bailliencourt family arrived as well before the ceremony at the church of Pomerol. We arrived back at Gazin for the ceremony and dinner. A black suit and Norwegian blood is not the best combination at these temperatures and a cloak on top it's fair to say it was hot. But with the diploma and a glass of chilled Champagne in hand the ventilation system started working. Below the wines during dinner.

2009 Château Moulinet
Ruby. Scented, dark berries and fairly nuanced nose, floral. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, elegant and detailed, bit edgy finish. 88

2009 Château Feytit-Clinet
Deep ruby, ruby rim. Vanilla, wood, spices, coffee and some dark fruits nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, woody, slightly dry, richer behind, trying to hard. 87

2009 Château Lafleur Saint-Jean
Deep ruby. Intense, chocolate, plums, dark berries and vanilla nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, bit woody in the back, but seems to handle it, long. 90

2009 Château La Fleur-Petrus
Ruby. Scented, layered, little bit woody up front, behind layeres of dark fruits, rich and intense yet nuanced nose, floral notes and fine tobacco. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, rich and refreshing, bit woody still but fruit to handle, rich but never warm, it's showing more details than before, long. 94

2006 Château Haut-Ferrand
Ruby. Leaner nose, starting figs, some plums, easier nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, rounded, bit leaner, slightly dry finish. 87

2006 Château Le Bon Pasteur
Ruby. Spicy, vanilla, dark fruits, slight coffee note on the nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, leaner, bit woody and spicy, pure fruit behind it, red berries, bit drying to be picky. 89

2006 Château Certan de May
Ruby. Bit closed nose at first, light spicy note, floral, dark berries, scented, not the most up front right now. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh, elegant, delicate, fruity, nuanced, lovely texture, refined and long. 92

2006 Château La Conseillante
Deep ruby. Dark berries, detailed, nuanced, intense, layered and complex nose. Scented, floral notes in the back. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, lively and refreshing, mouthwatering, maybe not refined just yet but getting there, very long. Superb '06. 95

2005 Château Mazeyres
Ruby. Scented, red and darker berries, fairly detailed, elegant nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, leaner, fresh and fruity, palate lacks a bit of the flirting nose, easy to drink. 88

2005 Clos René
Ruby. Scented, red and darker berries, fairly nuanced nose, quite lovely. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, softer texture and structure, detailed, elegant if a bit lean, good length. 89

2005 Château Clinet
Ruby. Lovely nose, layered, complex, detailed, a little richer, nuanced, darker fruits and tobacco. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fresh and lively, detailed, elegant and ever so slightly warm far back to be picky, long. 93

2005 Vieux Château Certan
Ruby. Layered, complex, more depth, dark fruits, tobacco, exotic, detailed and nuanced, scented, superb nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, elegant and refined, still very youthful, almost verging on raw even after half an hour in the glass, very long. This is for the long haul. 96

2000 Château Grange Neuve
Corked.

2000 Château Moulinet-Lassarre
Ruby, thin garnet rim. Figs, plums, mature and easy nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, lean and easy going but fresh. 85

2000 Château Bellegrave
Ruby. Scented, easy going nose, quite elegant, dark berries and tobacco. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, soft and rounded texture, elegant but a bit short. 86

2000 Château Beauregard
Ruby. Spicy, plums, blueberries and tobacco, vanilla nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, lively, elegant and refreshing, long. 92

2000 Clos du Clocher
Deep ruby. Spicy dark fruits, woody, increasingly woody with air. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, rounded, fresher and fuller palate, bit tannic, long. Not quite sure how this will develop. 91

2000 Château du Domaine de L'Eglise
Ruby. Scented, dark berries, light exotic note nose. Fresh acidity, softer tannins and structure, bit drying, good length. 88

2000 Château La Cabanne
Ruby, garnet rim. Very scented, tobacco, leather, bit ripe and slight alcohol note on the nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, leaner, tobacco and dark chocolate, druing a bit. 87

1999 Château Gazin
Ruby, thin garnet rim. Scented, tobacco, slight figs and more blueberries, just a little bit fresher than last bottle. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, nuanced, exotic, plums and blueberries, fruity, elegant if slightly rustic, bit tannic finish. Long. 92