It was a very stellar occasion that was put on by The Fine Wine Source of Livonia, and Vertical Detroit, their restaurant in Downtown Detroit.  Chateau Gaby was being featured in a major presentation.  Damien Landouar was representing Chateau Gaby as he is the Directeur General and the Winemaker there.  He is from the town of Saintes, just north of Bordeaux.  He has two decades of experience in his career of winemaking. He has a degree in agronomy, and finished post graduate studies of oenology at Vayres Rural Institute.  He also manages three other estates.  Unfortunately, with the crowd, I did not get a good photo from all of the photos I shot, so I found one courtesy of the internet.

The third wine of the vertical of six was Chateau Gaby Canon-Fronsac 2006. The district is known for their soil which is more sandstone and limestone than clay, which allows the vines to have a certain resistance to hotter weather, which has helped during sweltering summers compared to other parts of Bordeaux. This wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  The year began with a wet spring, a very dry and hot summer, with an unusually wet August, but high temperatures and dry in September.   The fruit is hand-harvested, and traditionally in the second week of October.  The wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak, of which half is new.  A deep ruby color that offered notes of black cherry, tobacco, and vanilla.  On the palate the tones of the black cherry, tobacco, and vanilla were very evident, with silky tannins, and a good finish of fruit, iron and terroir.

The fourth wine of the vertical series was Chateau Gaby Canon-Fronsac 2007.  Originally the appellation was Cotes de Canon in 1939 and then it simplified to Canon-Fronsac in 1964.  This vintage has become regarded as a classic, but it started out with very poor weather from June to mid-August, and then followed by a perfect September of hot days and cool evenings. The wine is a blend of eighty percent Merlot, ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and ten percent Cabernet Franc.  A pretty ruby colored wine that offered intense notes of black cherry, tobacco, vanilla, and enticing whiffs of truffles.  On the palate, the tones of fruit mingled well with elegant tannins with beautiful support of spices and a great finish showcasing terroir.