Château Le Gay: Vineyards
Château Le Gay and its vineyards are located at the northern end of the appellation, on the Chemin de Chantecaille, which joins the Route de Saint Jacques de Compostelle, the road that runs along the top of Pomerol, behind Château Lafleur and Petrus. These then are some of its near neighbours, although it should be noted that both Lafleur and Petrus sit on the southern side of the road, whereas Château Le Gay sits on the northern side, a few metres closer to the Barbanne, the edge of the plateau, and the appellation boundary. Looking east we see Château La Fleur-Pétrus and Château Lafleur-Gazin, and to the west lies Château Rouget, and these are somewhat more realistic peers for Château Le Gay than Château Lafleur and Petrus. The wines are certainly more comparable.
The château is located close to the road, connected to it by a short driveway, once loosely-gravelled, now covered in rather smart honey-coloured tarmac. In comparison with Château Lafleur, this property always had a slightly grander air to it, Le Gay being blessed with an elegant although rather diminutive stone-built château whereas Lafleur, although perhaps slightly larger, was more akin to an upper-class farmhouse (and perhaps more typical of Pomerol for that). Whether or not that remains true after the extension of upgrade of Lafleur’s château and cellars, though, is a moot point. It is perhaps not surprising that this should have been the case though, after all of the two properties it was at Château Le Gay that the late Robin sisters lived during the summer (they always returned to Libourne to ride out the winter).
