1986 Château La Croix de Gay

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 89.8 points

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  2/13/2023 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points

  Typically the wine is composed almost entirely of Merlot with only a tiny addition of Cabernet Franc. Aged for 18 months in barriques, of which about half are replaced annually. 12,5% alcohol.
  
  Luminous, moderately translucent and still relatively youthful dark ruby color with faint evolved brick-red highlights. The nose feels attractively fragrant, harmonious and slightly sweet-toned with nuanced aromas of juicy black cherries, some distinctive arrack tones, a little bit of wild strawberry, light evolved nuances of wizened blackcurrants and old leather, a hint of dusty wood and a touch of forest floor. The wine feels dry, firm and somewhat evolved on the palate with a medium body and harmonious, complex flavors of fresh blackcurrants and wizened red cherries, some arrack tones, a little bit of tobacco, light woody notes of pencil shavings, a hint of forest floor and a meaty touch of roasted game. The overall feel is still remarkably firm and structure-driven, thanks to the high acidity and moderately grippy yet not aggressive tannins. The finish is firm, long and juicy with layered flavors of ripe blackcurrants and dried chokeberries, some woody notes of cedar and pencil shavings, a little bit of old leather, light nuances of pipe tobacco, a characterful hint of arrack and a touch of gravelly minerality.
  
  A fine, wonderfully evolved and still rather firm and structured Pomerol with great sense of depth, complexity and intensity. The wine stood out in a Bordeaux tasting with its distinctive nuance of arrack, which might or might've not come from new oak - however it might be, it didn't really distract but just added to the complexity here, lending a sort of sweet lift to the wine's otherwise more savory flavors. The color here was remarkably youthful compared to the other wines of similar age, but on the palate the wine seemed much more evolved - as is appropriate for a wine +35 years old. All in all, this was a terrific effort and one of the most rewarding Pomerol wines I've had in a long while. Not particularly affordable at approx. 75€, but delivers for the price. Very nice, highly recommended.

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  11/28/2021 - Antoniusyh Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Ruby red with slightly brown edge. Spent 1.5 hours in the decanter. Typical mature Bordeaux. Aromas of some tar, cedar, wood and some fruit, cherries. Mature taste with good length. Surprisingly similar to chateau Talbot 1986, tastes om the same evening. Should, perhaps, spent shorter time in the decanter before tasting.

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  5/18/2020 - walkerjfw wrote: 88 Points

  Bottle in my cellar for ~10 years, time to give it a try. Splash decanted and drank over 90 minutes w Valerie
  
  Saturated ruby red, still vibrant, minor separation. Nose started with a whiff of cork taint, was worried it might have been corked but it was gone in 10 minutes. Evolving to dark cherry, minerals. Palate of red and dark fruits, plum, coffee and cocoa. Some dried fruits and herb. Medium weight and finish.
  
  Did better than I thought, although I dont have experience with this property. Easy drinking, nicely aged Pomerol. In a good spot, not likely to improve...

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  3/22/2014 - cfk49 wrote: 88 Points

  Silky smooth, fresh, enjoyable if a bit simple. Texture certainly was the best part. Exceeded my expectations.

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  4/22/2013 - Jasper May wrote: 89 Points

  Dark red, tending to orange at the rim - earth, spices and a little menthol on the nose. Medium bodied, slightly sweet on the palate, some plum and dried fruits - improves greatly after two hours in the decanter, the tannins have melted, but the wine still has enough fresh acidity.

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