Château Gazin
The vineyards of Pomerol are not, on the whole, blessed with a great number of grand châteaux to rival the magnificent 18th-century edifices so easily stumbled upon when exploring the most famous communes of the left bank. Château Nenin, which occupies a prominent roadside position on the western edge of Catusseau, with its pale limestone walls and mansard roof of clean grey slate, would probably look least out of place were it to be magically lifted and transplanted onto a vineyard near Pauillac or Margaux. Both Château Le Gay and Château Plince have pretty proportions, but are perhaps not sufficiently grandiose to qualify. This is clearly a more equitable landscape than we find on the left bank; truly imposing châteaux are uncommon, and smartly renovated farmhouses, usually with adjoining chai, are the most frequently encountered residences here.
One other château that might just fit the bill can be found on the northern edge of the appellation, on the Chemin de Chantecaille, and close to the waters of the Barbanne which runs just behind it, a physical marker of the boundary between Pomerol and Lalande-de-Pomerol. It might not have the elegant slate roof, but it has a broad frontage and a curious not-quite-central square tower popping out of the roofline, topped off by a delicate cupola, both of which give it some small sense of grandeur, more than the nearby farmhouses anyway. And there are extensive winemaking facilities off to the side, of course, as well as a great expanse of vineyards, some of which stretch far up onto the plateau. This is, of course, Château Gazin.
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