I had the pleasure of sitting next to John Gilman at a recent dinner, which makes this an appropos thread to append a quick comment for the 2008 La Croix de Gay [Pomerol]. Over two nights, no decanting, 13.5% abv, medium bodied, plummy/hazelnut palate, resolved tannin, low acid. The edges are starting to lighten, but that is not clear from the picture, which shows a still quite dark teenager. I bought scant 2008 as a vintage – just a small handful of Pomerols – and this bottle was due to seeing it randomly; CdG is not readily seen in my region but I had a slot open in a box I was shipping back in 2015, so randomly threw this in there. 2008 feels bigger, fuller than examples I can recall from a prior era (once was at a small dinner where the 1990 swept the table with its balance, elegance) but maybe that’s a function of overall temperature/degree days. Not the easiest property to find despite the 3000 case production, which is healthy output for Pomerol AOC; this example came over via Jeffrey Davies, who tends to work with estates willing to sell outside the La Place system^. As I really savor/swish/swill this, I get some framboise character that comes through the lovely texture.
Overall I’d give this a B+ on my card and it’s eminently satisfying, even if it might not meet the ‘profound’ level of the better 2008’s John prefers. And this is a thread, and vintage, worth reflecting upon again.
^ That’s weird to me, as I thought Davies tended to infuse a whole wine making gestalt into his clients, beyond mere distribution, and I didn’t think a glamour region would be receptive to his differentiated style. I’ll buy almost anything that I know he brings over, btw.