Château La Gaffelière - Saint-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé 2019

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Chalky vitality at the heart of the palate builds the wine and stretches out a fruit full of vitality, well integrated into the silky texture. Great aromatic persistence gives a classy finish. Great emotion! And within 5 years, its constitution could take it into the Top 5...

About the domain :

Ideally situated on the slope that extends from Ausone to Belair-Monange, La Gaffelière has undergone a gentle revolution over the last decade: half of the 22 hectares have been planted under the leadership of Alexandre Malet-Roquefort (whose family has been in Saint-Émilion since the 15th century), with a more balanced grape variety. Merlot was uprooted and Cabernet Franc replanted, moving from the sands to the hillsides. The percentage of Cabernet Franc rose to 40% of the final blend. The result is more complex, floral wines that respect fruit and freshness.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the domain :

Named after a medieval hospital for lepers ("gaffet"), this cru lies at the southern entrance to Saint-Émilion, between the hills of Ausone and Pavie. Here, we don't count in years, but in centuries: the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa, said to have belonged to the poet Ausone, have been found. The Malet Roquefort family (today Count Léo de Malet Roquefort) has been established here since the 17th century. On a 22-hectare single vineyard of clay-limestone soil, planted with Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Franc, a 1ergrand cru classé B has been produced since 2013 in completely refurbished technical buildings.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The perfect sweetness of the 2019, with its expansive, well-balanced volume, seduces us beyond its well-preserved fruit to its beautiful length. Fresh and well-balanced, the wine remains a classic, presenting the archetypal aristocratic and distinguished Saint-Emilion, without ostentatious signs.

About the domain :

In parallel with a profound restructuring of the vineyard, under the leadership of the Derenoncourt team (uprooting and replanting 5 hectares of Cabernet Franc on the magnificent limestone slopes to the south of the village), Alexandre de Malet, now at the helm, has invested heavily in the technical overhaul of the vat room. After investments in plantations since 2000 and a renewal of the cultivation equipment, La Gaffelière's production facilities are now on a par with the elite of the premier grands crus classés. Eventually, 80% of the grand vin will come from vines on the hillside (under Belair), leaving the generous but less racy lower slopes to the second wine, Clos La Gaffelière. In the 70s and 80s, La Gaffelière didn't always produce a wine worthy of its rank. The low point is now well behind us and, in a welcome turn of events, the de Malet Roquefort family has just bought Château Puy-Blanquet, 20 hectares (19 in production) in Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, on a clay-limestone hilltop overlooking the Dordogne, which it had sold to the Jacquet family in the 1960s for inheritance reasons. Defending a classic but expressive style, without excess, built on the finesse of the second half of the palate, this first wine in an exceptional topographical situation has not ceased to surprise, all the more so as it still commands understandable prices. This is the heart of Saint-Émilion's most sensual and singular wines!

Jancis Robinson

James Suckling

About the wine:

A vibrant, fragrant red with aromas of blackberry, redcurrant, walnut and mint chocolate. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Nice nutty notes on the polished finish. Fantastic length. Sustained acidity and concentration. To be tried in 2025.

Le Figaro vins

About the wine:

Quite different from its little brother Clos La Gaffelière, for a wine not to be underestimated. Round, opulent and dense on the nose, the palate makes you levitate, thanks to a silky, cashmere-like texture, intense and salivating. 2029 - 2049

Terre de Vins

About the wine:

Muted, slender, appetizing nose of juicy plum with a fine chalky note. The fruit is concentrated, ample and precise, with a warm, enveloping profile. The tannins are very silky, the minerality tautens the whole wine for a beautifully elegant structure. The renaissance of Château La Gaffelière continues.

Jean-Marc Quarin

About the wine:

The ascent noticed from 2017, confirmed in 2018, is found in this great 2019. The intense, fruity nose is still a little reduced. Bottled in June 2021, it requires a good airing. On the palate, the wine offers us the delicacy of the vintage and lots of complexity in the touch and in the aromatic brilliance. The finish is long, noble and very persistent. A superb wine.

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is nicely subtle, offering a certain depth (in finesse), lovely fruit, complexity and a multi-layered side. Notes of full-bodied boysenberry, full-bodied wild strawberry and, more lightly, crushed black berry are combined with touches of blueberry, zan, wild berry/ripe berry, a subtle hint of graphite, limestone, chocolate, fine cinnamon, toasted notes and an imperceptible hint of saffron (on the floral side) and vanilla. The palate is fruity, well-balanced and offers gourmandise, a lovely pulpy/clovey/acidulated fruit, roundness, elegance, power, a certain uprightness and a certain masterful richness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/acidulous raspberry, tart/fresh strawberry and, to a lesser extent, juicy/pulpy blackberry, combined with hints of lily, blueberry and tart plum, as well as hints of chocolate, toasted almond, cinnamon and a discreet hint of caramelization on the finish/persistence. Fine chewiness on the finish/persistence. A slightly restrained wine at present. (2026+)