Château La Gaffelière - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2025 (Primeurs)

Ideally located on the hillside that extends from Ausone and leads to Belair-Monange, La Gaffelière has undergone a gentle revolution over the past decade: on half of its 22 hectares, under the guidance of Alexandre Malet-Roquefort (whose family has been in Saint-Émilion since the 15th century), the vineyard’s grape varieties have been optimally repositioned. Merlot vines have been uprooted and replaced with Cabernet Franc, which now extends from the sandy soils up the hillside. Its proportion in the blend has increased, reaching up to 40% of the final blend. The results are compelling, yielding wines that are more complex and floral, while preserving the fruit and freshness.

This vineyard, which takes its name from a medieval leper hospital (“gaffet”), is located just outside the southern entrance to Saint-Émilion, between Ausone Hill and Pavie Hill. Here, time is measured not in years but in centuries: the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa believed to have belonged to the poet Ausonius have been found here. The Malet Roquefort family (now Count Léo de Malet Roquefort) has been established here since the 17th century. On a single, contiguous 22-hectare clay-limestone vineyard planted with Merlot (80%) and Cabernet Franc, a Premier Grand Cru Classé B is produced; since 2013, it has been crafted in fully renovated winemaking facilities.

Alongside a major restructuring of the vineyard—led by the Derenoncourt team (which involved uprooting and replanting 5 hectares of Cabernet Franc on the magnificent limestone slopes south of the village)—Alexandre de Malet, now at the helm, has invested heavily in the technical overhaul of the winemaking facility. Following investments in plantings since 2000 and an upgrade of cultivation equipment, La Gaffelière’s production facilities now rank among the elite of the First Growths. Eventually, 80% of the estate’s flagship wine will come from the hillside vineyards (under Belair), leaving the lower slopes—generous but less refined—to the second wine, Clos La Gaffelière. In the 1970s and 1980s, La Gaffelière did not always produce a wine worthy of its standing. The worst of that period is now well behind us, and, as fate would have it, the de Malet Roquefort family has just purchased Château Puy-Blanquet, 20 hectares (19 of which are in production) in Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, on a clay-limestone ridge overlooking the Dordogne, which they had sold to the Jacquet family in the 1960s for inheritance reasons. Embodying a classic yet expressive style, without excess, built on the finesse of the wine’s mid-palate, this first growth—with its exceptional topography—continues to surprise, especially since its prices remain reasonable. Here, we find ourselves at the heart of what is most sensual and unique in Saint-Émilion!

The first impressions offered by the La Gaffelière blend can be summed up as depth, complexity, and purity! What a superb ability to so seamlessly blend nuances of peonies, ripe black berries, and chalk. Freshness and ripeness go hand in hand, promising a wealth of delights! The velvety attack gives way to a flamboyant, incisive structure, enveloped by compact, velvety tannins with fine grains. The result is a symbiosis that is as compelling as it is exhilarating. What vigor, character, and harmony in this wine! Once again, La Gaffelière reaffirms its place among the elite of Saint-Emilion! 2030–2065

Deep purple color with violet highlights and a black core. Opulent character with aromas reminiscent of blackberries, along with hints of wild strawberries in the background. Subtle toasted notes, vanilla, and gingerbread, with a slight hint of beetroot in the background. On the palate, the wine is well-structured and balanced, with lovely concentration and a very appealing finish; the ripe tannins lend it an almost velvety character.