Despite the misleading appearances of difficult weather conditions, this 2008 vintage has globally been a positive one for the Pomerol vineyard.
Of course, the damp, cool spring brought about a high threat of disease, in particular downy mildew, as well as very complicated flowering that caused a great deal of coulure and millerandage which will have consequences on the 2008 yield.

However, the three months of summer were drier than average and created a hydric stress that is necessary for the production of high-quality red wines.
We just lacked slightly higher temperatures, which is why the harvest was later than usual -the latest for the past 20 years- but at the same time we avoided any too high hydric stress in the vines.
Fortunately, we also benefited from a lovely Indian summer, enabling a gradual and complete ripening of the grapes, which remained healthy throughout.

At Gazin the first bunches were brought in on September 29th, for the merlots grape variety. Concerning the cabernets Francs and Sauvignon they were gathered on October 16th and 17th in excellent conditions. The late ripening cabernets took advantage of the sunny, cool weather, reaching ideal ripeness by mid October.

As for crop size, it is low : 28/29 hectolitres per hectare after the running off and pressing which ended on November 12th.
The profile of the wines prior to malo-lactic fermentation (50% in new oak) is one of incredible freshness and classicism. The colour is very dense. Very ripe fruit is accompanied by elegant notes of spices and flowers. The tannins are powerful and in balance. We have not looked to extract too much, preferring to keep as much finesse as possible.

It is clear that the precocity of the merlot grape and the early maturing character of the upper terrace of the Pomerol terroir have enabled us to escape any of the disadvantages of the lateness of this vintage. We are optimistic about the future of this 2008, probably much better than the 2007 (which presently is showing well in its barrels and should be bottled in April 2009).

*This text comes from a press release issued by “Pomerol Seduction”, a group of wineries including : Beauregard, Clinet, Clos du Clocher, Gazin, La Conseillante, Mazeyres, Petit-Village, Rouget and Vieux-Maillet.