Château La Gaffelière 2021

The 2021 La Gaffelière is quite rich and generous by the standards of the vintage, wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries and raspberries mingled with licorice, pencil shavings and creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it has good depth at the core, lively acids and a sapid finish.

Presents a pretty solid core of black cherry and cassis notes (for the vintage), while apple wood, sweet tobacco and black tea flavors fill in. The finish reveals a sanguine, chalky underpinning, which stays fresh and helps minimize the vintage's austere side. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035. 7,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.

Fragrant and ripe fruit on the nose, perfumed black cherries and a dusting of milk chocolate. Lots of toasted aromatics too, wood, clove, cinnamon and spice. Weighty and well textured, this has a lovely presence on the palate, pure but with concentration yet cool at the same time. Stylish with energy and focus. Really sustains the palate, lots of movement and forward motion. One of the more complete wines in terms of energy and just harmony. Still the oak there so this will age but a great showing.

The 2021 La Gaffelière has quite a powerful bouquet with ample black cherry and raspberry fruit, violet and licorice—aromatics you would misconstrue as those from a warmer growing season. The palate is medium-bodied and fleshy with ripe tannins and good depth. It has more fruit intensity than its peers, yet it manages to retain minerality and composure toward the finish. This is an excellent Saint-Émilion from the top drawer.

Plummy, polished, soft, and fresh, the floral characteristics on the nose make an impression before you experience the multiple layers of sweet, ripe, juicy, dark plums, espresso, and chocolate on the mid-palate and in the round, soft, silky, long finish. Drink from 2023-2050. 93-95

Deep, dark ruby core with a purple tinge to the narrow rim. Delicate nougat, black cherries, a touch of plum and orange zest, fine noble wood spices. Juicy, fresh, dark berries and a hint of cassis, integrated tannins, a chocolaty touch on the finish. Certainly has ageing potential.

A huge success in the vintage, the 2021 Château La Gaffelière checks in as an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that was raised in 50% new oak. Gorgeous cassis and black raspberry-like fruit as well as flowers, cedary herbs, and graphite all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a silky, layered, elegant mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and outstanding length. It's clearly up with the top handful of wines in the vintage and will have 15-20 years of overall longevity.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, 13.7% vol. alcohol) Restrained, delicate bouquet, strawberry, mocha, wood. Well-structured palate with delicate fruit, plenty of fine tannins, muscular structure, closed aromatics, bitter finish.

(58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc, 13.7% alc. vol.) Restrained, fine bouquet, strawberries, mocha, wood. Well‑structured palate with delicate fruit, plenty of fine tannins, muscular structure, closed aromatics, bitter finish. 17/20 2029 - 2045

Showing well in bottle, with creamy raspberry, a lightness of touch coupled with good concentration and balance. Plenty of appellation limestone signature, this is good quality, one to look out for, delicate but with character and lift. Not tasted En Primeur, and enjoyable to get to know now. This is also a vintage with a footnote in history for Gaffelière, as it will be the last one bottled as a Premier Grand Cru Classé, after stepping down from the system in 2022.

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, La Gaffeliere 2021 has a deep garnet-purple color. It delivers notes of crushed redcurrants, kirsch, and juicy plums, leading to hints of fragrant soil, Sichuan pepper, and garrigue. The medium-bodied palate has a good concentration of black fruits, with approachable tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a savory note.

Delicate on the nose, with the subtle elegance of an Italian nobleman, it draws attention without saying a word, with a bouquet that slowly unfolds around spicy, savory, complex fruit, revealing notes of pomegranate, sweet briar, and tea leaf. On the palate, a slight dusty touch appears at first, but the wine’s rich power quickly sweeps that impression away. With a creamy texture that envelops the palate, it expresses remarkable power—gentle yet persistent.

The complexity displayed by the bouquet of La Gaffelière sets the tone from the outset. This plurality and depth result from a pursuit of perfection, always on the lookout for the complexity that the terroir can impart—provided it can be mastered! I believe that has been achieved, especially after tasting the wine. Indeed, the grandeur promised by the bouquet is fully delivered on the palate. The wine shows density, tight tannins, and an acidic structure that carries the aromatic intensity perfectly through to the finish. It is worth recalling, for the record, that a great wine is defined by its ability to perform in more challenging vintages… Mission accomplished! A wine that deserves a place in the cellar…

Dark, deep purple colour. Very aromatic nose, fruity, delicate and subtle. Delicate on the attack, very aromatic mid-palate; the wine caresses the palate and rises towards the finish, with subtle weave. Lovely length with nuanced, fragrant tannins. Refined and very good overall. Blend: 58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol: 13.7% - pH: 3.3. Harvest: from 22 September to 15 October for Merlot, from 4 to 12 October for Cabernet Franc.

This is beautifully textured with great black fruits and rich tannins. The wine's polished perfumes give a refined, finely textured wine. Ready to age, drink from 2028.