Château Gaby 'Princess Gaby' Canon Fronsac

Several years ago I came to know, via a then colleague, the Gaby wines and the previous Château owner, David Curl. David owned this and Château Moya in nearby Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux usually also available from Wines With Attitude^®. I was lucky enough to visit Château Gaby with its renowned river view and to meet the winemaker for both Châteaux, the amiable Damien Landouar. Since that visit Gaby and Moya have seen investment from new owner, Tom Sullivan whom I met in 2019 and will see further investment due to a fire at the chateau in 2022 which thankfully missed the winery. Damian remains the wine maker which is great news for both châteaux and for the other châteaux in the Vignoble Sullivan group. Both chateaux are now fully organic, certified from 2018, and have been using organic practices for many years before that.

In Bordeaux you can find value in a chateau’s second & third wines. Gaby leaves its grapes long on the vine in order to develop “the aromas specific to their variety” and because they produce high quality grapes they are able to produce Princess Gaby Canon Fronsac 2017 as their third wine, Château Gaby being their second.

Recommended with steak, beef casseroles, lamb, chicken, turkey and smooth enough to have with pork dishes also. Also good with cheese, tomato-based dishes, mushrooms, roast vegetables etc.

It is worth decanting and letting this wine breathe for 30 minutes before serving. There may be a little sediment. Serve at: 15 – 17°C

“The Château Gaby vineyard produces such great quality grapes that we can create three tiers of excellent wine. Princess Gaby, our third wine, is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Well-balanced with elegant flavours and fine tannins, the wine tastes of transformation. Strong on the nose with red fruits and liquorice notes, Princess Gaby softens on the palate with a long finish and traces of vanilla. To add complexity, Princess Gaby is aged in barrels used to make the award-winning Château Gaby.”

For the 2017 vintage:

92 – 93 points – Forbes
“Light, elegant, soft aromas of blue berries, red cherries and red plums. Well-structured and balanced wine with elegant and soft tannins and suave acidity. A mid-afternoon beauty to start the weekend.”

For the 2019 vintage:

94 points – Forbes
“This 80/10/10 blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon includes a beautifully light, clear and precise range of aromas of florals and red and black fruit—including violets—as well as aromas of sandalwood, clover and morels. In the mouth, this is a juicy red with tastes of mandarins, plums as well as mint and tarragon. Pair with blackened fish or beef bourguignon.”

91 points – The Wine Enthusiast
“Medium-bodied, lusciously textured, sweet, ripe, round fruits with licorice, flowers and freshness from start to finish.”

90 points – Falstaff
“Dark ruby, violet tints, discreet bright rim. Dark berry fruit underlaid with some nougat, delicate raspberry jam, discreet herbal savouriness. Medium complexity, red cherries, powerful, grown-up tannins, good freshness, some nougat on the finish.”

86-88 points – RobertParker.com
“The 2019 Princess Gaby is composed of 80% Merlot with smaller proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It has a deep garnet-purple color and slightly shy notes of wild blueberries, ripe blackberries and Morello cherries plus hints of pencil shavings, dusty soil and garrigue. The medium-bodied palate delivers loads of crunchy black and red fruits with a finely grained texture and plenty of freshness, finishing with a lively lift.”