Clos La Gaffeliere Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2019

"The second wine of La Gaffeliere, the 2019 Clos La Gaffeliere has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and bags of character all its own, featuring notes of redcurrant jelly, raspberry pie, Black Forest cake and underbrush with wafts of bouquet garni and cracked black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers plenty of juicy red and black fruits with lovely herbal sparks and an approachable texture of rounded tannins, finishing with enticing freshness." 90-92 The Wine Advocate.

Chateau La Gaffeliere estate comprises 38 hectares, of which 22 hectares of 1st Grand Cru Classé, on clayey foothills. Plantings are 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc.

Born in 1985, Clos La Gaffelière has his own vat room and cellars. Ageing is done, in large part, in 1 and 2 years old barrels. The blend is usually a large majority of Merlot (up to 90%) and the rest of Cabernet Franc, vinified and aged with just as much care as the lots making up the first wine by the same team as Chateau La Gaffeliere.

The wine of Chateau La Gaffeliere is aged in an average of 70% to 80% new, French oak barrels, where the wine remains on its lees for about 12 months. In total, the wine spends between 18 to 20 months in barrel, depending on the character and quality of the vintage. On average, slightly more than 4,000 cases of Chateau La Gaffeliere are produced every vintage.

Chateau La Gaffeliere has the unique distinction of being one of the oldest, family-owned vineyards in the St. Emilion appellation of Bordeaux. The family can trace their roots in the Right Bank all the way back to the 1400s!

While parts of the estate date back to the 11th century, the true beginnings of La Gaffeliere as a winery started with the arrival of the Comte de Malet-Roquefort in the 17th century. They are responsible for the unique, Gothic-styled chateau that is easily visible from the main road leading to the Saint Emilion village.

By the 18th century, Chateau La Gaffeliere had earned a reputation for producing high-quality, St. Emilion wine. At some point in time, the vineyard was split with some of the land shifting to what became Canon La Gaffeliere, located just down the road.

On June 1, 2022, just a few months before the official results of the 2022 Saint Emilion classification were publically announced, surprisingly, Chateau La Gaffeliere withdrew their estate from the classification. This was surprising because they almost for sure would have retained their Premier Grand Cru Classe B ranking in the new classification."

Excerpts from The Wine Cellar Insider.