Château La Gaffelière 2019

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Garnet hue. Open and expressive with red-fruit notes and a slight herbal twist. Sweet attack but freshness as well. Light powdery tannins with a bit of bite on the finish. Relatively simple and for early drinking. (JL)

Bright on the nose, with pure, vibrant fruit and notes of raspberry, blackcurrant, raspberry leaf and blackcurrant leaf. Divine on the palate, the wine has a silky texture that lingers even after swallowing. Great drinkability!

Well-balanced maturation spice. Full-bodied, round and dense, with ample tannins that balance the alcohol well; enjoyable and fun.

This rolls out dense fig, boysenberry and red currant paste flavors laced with pronounced chalky minerality and notes of tobacco, dried anise and juniper. The serious tannic drive on the finish puts this in the 'classically austere' camp. Worth cellaring for sure, but patience is required. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2040. 7,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.

A rich, rounded nose bursting with ripe fruit aromas. Plump and voluptuous on the palate while maintaining excellent acidity that really lifts it, giving depth as well as a truly aerial feel. Tannins are smooth and beautifully framed, and this is super fresh. Delicate yet deep, round yet layered with chalky minerality. Elegant and engaging.

A vibrant, fragrant red with aromas of blackberries, currants, walnuts and mint chocolate. Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Pretty walnut notes on the polished finish. Fantastic length. Driven acidity and focus. Try in 2025.

The 2019 La Gaffelière has a wonderful bouquet of mineral-laced black and red fruit and sous-bois, with a little tobacco and pencil box emerging over time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and ripe. Perfectly balanced, it leads to an almost Left Bank, graphite-tinged finish thanks to the 40% Cabernet Franc. The 2019 continues the purple patch of this Saint-Émilion stalwart. No doubt a wine that will provide 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure.

Showing better in the bottle than it did in the barrel—and it was already quite good in barrel—the wine pops with tobacco leaf, flowers, ripe red fruits, espresso, and thyme on the nose. Rich, fresh, and vibrant, with ample flesh and sweetness, it finishes with loads of sweet, ripe, dark red and black fruits. Give it a few years in bottle, and it will really be rocking! La Gaffeliere has been on quite a roll since the 2015 vintage. Since 2015, each vintage seems to have gotten just a bit better, and 2019 clearly continues that trend. Drink from 2026–2050.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate bright rim. Red cherries, some liquorice, mineral touch, inviting bouquet. Juicy, round and accessible, fresh cherry fruit, fine tannins, pleasant acidity, delicate nougat aftertaste, lemony touch, a versatile food wine.

The finest wine I’ve tasted from this estate, the 2019 Château La Gaffelière is pure Saint-Emilion brilliance and offers a complex, intense bouquet of red and black fruits, iron, truffly earth, tobacco, and bouquet garni. This carries to a medium- to full-bodied, pure, layered, elegant yet concentrated 2019 with perfect tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a gorgeous finish. It shows the perfumed, elegant, already accessible style of this great vintage (and I thoroughly enjoyed this bottle), but it’s going to evolve gracefully over the coming 30 years or more. Bravo!

60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc. Purple with a ruby rim. Restrained blueberry-scented bouquet, hints of violet, dried rosemary and perfumed pipe tobacco. On the palate, elegant, with vibrant drive and a tightly knit tannic structure, sinewy body. Aromatic finish with blueberries and sloe jelly, ending on delicate crunchy notes and a crumbly astringency. The young Cabernet Franc vines are responsible for the cooling freshness.

Kunz barrel sample 2020: (60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 14.2% alc./vol., production 85,000 bottles) Silky, fresh, elegant bouquet, blackcurrants, cherries, After Eight, cedar. Dense, straight palate with delicate fruit, a well-muscled, elegant structure, good tannins, powerful aromatics, long, fresh finish. Can improve further.

(60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 14.2% abv, production 85,000 bottles) Silky, fresh, elegant bouquet, blackcurrants, cherries, After Eight, cedar. Dense, linear palate with fine fruit, an elegant, well-muscled structure, good tannins, powerful aromatics, long, fresh finish. Can improve further. 17/20 2025 - 2045

The most gorgeous depth and complexity through the palate, with pulses of minerality and salinity on the finish, a ton of brambled blackberry, raspberry purée, tobacco leaf, leather and raspberry leaf fruit. 60% new oak. Brilliant wine. Owned by the Malet-Roquefort family since 1715, with Stephane Derenoncourt as consultant since 2004. I love this, and it has delivered on its En Primeur promise.

The 2019 La Gaffeliere is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it rolls out with pronounced notes of stewed black and red plums, boysenberry preserves, and Indian spices, leading to suggestions of cedar, underbrush, and black olives. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and refreshing, with fine-grained tannins and delicate red and black fruit layers, finishing minerally.

The perfect sweetness of the 2019, with expansive, balanced volume, captivates us beyond its preserved fruit, carrying through into a long, elegant finish. Fresh and impeccably poised, the wine remains unmistakably classic and offers the very archetype of aristocratic, racy Saint-Émilion, with no ostentatious flourishes.

Such complexity and freshness in this bouquet, where floral and fruity nuances complement each other. Inviting notes of violets and blackberries followed by a hint of licorice wood. On the palate, the wine is precise, elegant, and supported by a compact, well-judged tannic structure. The acidity brings invigorating freshness and a firm edge while carrying the aromatic expression through to the finish. A saline touch on the finale. La Gaffelière confirms its standing and consolidates its place among the great wines of St-Emilion.

The nose is elegant, fresh and racy, with a fine, tightly knit grain. It reveals notes of blackcurrant, fresh iris and fresh raspberry, plus a hint of racy minerality, together with touches of juicy/crunchy strawberry and grey pepper, as well as subtle hints of incense, fresh tobacco and sweet spices. The palate is fruity, fresh, mineral and balanced, offering a fine, tangy backbone, juiciness, refined grain and a delicate tension. On the palate, the wine delivers notes of juicy/tangy blackcurrant and tangy blackberry, with lighter nuances of fresh iris/violet, along with touches of juicy/crunchy small red berries and subtle hints of juicy/ripe raspberry, toast, nutmeg and an imperceptible hint of fresh tobacco in the background. Good length. The tannins are precise and racy. A delicate hint of ripe hazelnut lingers on the finish.

The remarkable rise that began in 2017, confirmed in 2018, is evident in this great 2019. The nose is intense and fruity, still a touch reduced. Bottled in June 2021, it needs good aeration. On the palate, the wine offers the cru’s delicacy and plenty of complexity in texture and aromatic brilliance. It goes a long way on the finish, noble and very persistent. It’s superb.

The wine has a dense structure alongside ripe black fruits and generous tannins. Its density brings out the fresh lift of the vintage, giving a wine that has weight and also succulence. Drink from 2026.