Château Gazin

The land that became Château Gazin was once a collective of tenant holdings, the Domaine de Gazin. By the late 18th century it had grown into a small settlement where descendants of the Barraud brothers still worked the land along with perhaps twenty other tenants, one of whom was Antoine Feuilhade. At the opening of the 20th century the owner was Léon Quenedey. In 1917 Gazin passed from Quenedey to Louis Soualle, who already owned Château La Dominique in Saint-Émilion, and both properties then came to his daughter, who was married to Edouard de Bailliencourt dit Courcol. The de Bailliencourt family has held Gazin since 1917. In 1969 Etienne de Bailliencourt sold a parcel of vines to the Moueix family, and this clay parcel of Gazin was added to Pétrus. Nicolas de Bailliencourt took over the running of the estate in 1990.

• Late 18th century: Gazin was a small settlement worked by descendants of the Barraud brothers and perhaps twenty other tenants, among them Antoine Feuilhade
• Early 20th century: owned by Léon Quenedey
• 1917: passed to Louis Soualle, owner of Château La Dominique in Saint-Émilion, then through his daughter's marriage to Edouard de Bailliencourt dit Courcol to the de Bailliencourt family
• 1969: Etienne de Bailliencourt sold a clay parcel of vines to the Moueix family for Pétrus
• 1990: Nicolas de Bailliencourt took over the running of the estate

As of August 2014, Nicolas de Bailliencourt was the owner of Château Gazin, which he had run since 1990, and Michel Obert had been technical director since the 2005 vintage. Elise Fournier, Nicolas de Bailliencourt's niece, spoke for the family on the pricing of the 2012 vintage en primeur. In April 2015 Christophe de Bailliencourt met visiting press to present recent developments at Château Gazin and taste recent vintages.

• Nicolas de Bailliencourt: owner as of August 2014; running the estate since 1990
• Michel Obert: technical director since the 2005 vintage (as of August 2014)
• Christophe de Bailliencourt: met visiting press about recent developments in April 2015

Château Gazin stands on the northern edge of the Pomerol appellation, on the Chemin de Chantecaille, close to the Barbanne, which marks the boundary between Pomerol and Lalande-de-Pomerol. The estate covers 26.5 hectares in all, with 24 hectares planted to vines in a single block running up from the château. About 17 hectares of this vineyard lie on the clay and gravel of the Pomerol plateau, and some of the plateau vineyards share the clays that run through the vineyards of Pétrus; the other vines grow in more gravelly or sandy soils closer to the château. The vineyards of Gazin, with those of La Conseillante, L'Évangile and Lafleur-Gazin, wrap around the Pétrus vines. Pomerol's contours rise to just above 40 metres at Château Gazin, against a peak of 39 metres at Pétrus. As of 2014 the estate was planted to 91 percent Merlot, 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc.

• 26.5 hectares in total; 24 hectares of vines in a single block running up from the château
• About 17 hectares on the clay and gravel of the Pomerol plateau; other vines on more gravelly or sandy soils near the château
• Elevation just above 40 metres at Château Gazin, against 39 metres at Pétrus
• Plantings as of 2014: 91% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest Cabernet Franc

As of 2014, fermentation took place in cement vats, and élevage lasted 15 to 18 months depending on the vintage, in 50 percent new oak, and the estate leased its barrels for ageing rather than buying several hundred new barrels every year, returning barrels it was not using as the wine was racked. Production was typically 8,333 cases a year, with about three-quarters going into the grand vin and the rest into the second wine, L'Hospitalet de Gazin.

• Fermentation in cement vats (2014)
• Élevage of 15 to 18 months in 50% new oak, depending on the vintage (2014)
• Barrels leased for ageing rather than bought new each year (2014)
• Typically 8,333 cases a year (2014); about three-quarters grand vin, the rest L'Hospitalet de Gazin

Pomerol has no classification system, so Château Gazin carries no classified rank; the appellation was among the original appellations created by France's INAO in 1936. In the en primeur campaign for the 2012 vintage, Gazin was the first Bordeaux estate to release its wine, at €39 ex-Bordeaux, a reduction of 7.14% on the previous year's €42.

• No classified rank: Pomerol has no classification system
• Pomerol appellation established in 1936
• 2012 vintage: first Bordeaux estate to release its en primeur wine, at €39 ex-Bordeaux

Writing in Wine Spectator in 2014, James Molesworth found that the 2012, made entirely from Merlot, 'shows the house style to a T, as it has an opulent mouthfeel but isn't overdone or overripe,' with a core of crushed plum, blueberry and blackberry paste flavors and a long, toasted finish. He found black tea and warm raspberry coulis notes in the 2007, from an off year. The Wine Doctor judged the 2012, after a late growing season dogged by mildew, 'a resounding success for the vintage.'

• 2012 (100% Merlot): opulent mouthfeel, crushed plum, blueberry and blackberry paste, in James Molesworth's 2014 Wine Spectator notes
• 2007: black tea and warm raspberry coulis, in the same notes

Primary source (producer's own site): https://www.chateau-gazin.com/ was under maintenance on every fetch (2026-10-19), so no fact here rests on it. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (James Molesworth, 21 August 2014), https://www.winespectator.com/articles/like-a-good-neighbor-gazin-is-there-50431; Decanter (Serena Sutcliffe, last updated 25 May 2020), https://www.decanter.com/features/petrus-wine-behind-the-legend-248076/; Decanter (Colin Hay, 24 June 2022), https://www.decanter.com/premium/understanding-pomerol-at-three-price-points-482388/; Decanter (Jane Anson, last updated 6 July 2015), https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/bordeaux-2012-chateau-gazin-first-release-of-en-primeur-19837/; The Wine Doctor, https://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/gazin.shtml (profile pages 1 to 5), https://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/petrus_5.shtml and https://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/gazin2015.shtml. Last verified 2026-10-19.