Château Gazin Rocquencourt: Tasting & Drinking
Looking to the reds of Château Gazin Rocquencourt first, in terms of the blend they tended to mirror the vineyard, typically about 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, in very recent vintages at least. The style was one of restraint and supple substance rather than the more overt concentration and structure seen in some of the most famous names of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. In the most successful vintages, however, which in recent times means 2016 and 2015, the wine came out of its shell to reveal more confident fruit expression, luscious black cherry and blackcurrant, with floral violet and peony notes, and a grip of charcoal-tinged tannins. I think, even allowing for vintage differences, there was some tangible improvement during the time I have been tasting the wines. They were wines which were set to develop well, over ten or fifteen years, in the cellar.
The white, while admirable, tended to shows a less striking character than the red, polished and textural, but it was always 100% Sauvignon Blanc and it sometimes came across as a little too varietal in style, and yet a little softly composed with it. These were young vines through. The 2016 and 2017 vintages, perhaps also the slightly richer 2015, were the best bets for drinking. Although I did not realise it at the time, these more recent vintages were the end of the road for Château Gazin Rocquencourt, as in 2020 it was phagocytosed by the rather larger and grander Château Malartic-Lagravière. (25/7/18, updated 15/9/21)
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