| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The 2019 La Gaffelière wafts from the glass with a rich bouquet of blackberries and cherries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers and loamy soil that's framed by a deft application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, it's a concentrated, vibrant wine built around bright acids and fine, powdery tannins. Its vivid fruit tones and classical balance make this Cabernet Franc-rich blend a promising candidate for sustained bottle age. Anyone who has tasted the great wines this estate produced in the 1950s and 1960s knows how great this site can be; and with stricter selection as well as the elimination of fruit from vines growing on the plain from the blend, that potential appears to be being unleashed at last. Drink Date 2027 - 2057
The 2019 La Gaffelière has a wonderful bouquet of mineral-rich black and red fruit and sous-bois, a little tobacco and pencil box emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and ripe. Perfectly balanced, leading to an almost Left Bank, graphite-tinged finish courtesy of the 40% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 continues the purple patch of this Saint-Émilion stalwart. No doubt a wine that will give 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure. Drink 2025-2060.
A polished red with well-integrated tannins that are soft and persistent. Very tailored. It’s medium-bodied with rich fruit and a flavorful finish. Very fine and polished at the finish. Chewy at the end. Very tight.
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 most gorgeous depth and complexity through the palate, with touches of mineral pulsing and salinity on the finish, a ton of brambled blackberry, raspberry puree, tobacco leaf, leather and raspberry leaf fruit. 60% new oak. brilliant wine. owned by the malet-roquefort family since 1715, with stephane derenoncourt consultant since 2004. i love this, and it has delivered on its en primeur promise.
The flagship 2019 Château La Gaffeliere is mostly Merlot, yet the cuvée always includes around 15% Cabernet Franc. It offers a complex array of spiced red and black fruits, cedary herbs, lead pencil, and a kiss of tobacco to go with a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, impressively balanced style on the palate. It shows the more classic style of the vintage, has no hard edges, and a killer finish. It’s going to be relatively accessible in its youth yet also age gracefully for 15+ years or more. Tasted twice.
The 2019 La Gaffelière is well-defined on the nose, though it does not have the complexity of the Petit Cheval and La Dominique tasted alongside. Yet with aeration, its mineralité does become more tangible. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy entry, plenty of vibrant red fruit, orange rind and spice touches, just a little dustiness developing on the finish. Given the stellar showing in previous bottles, I shall not score based on this showing. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
The 2019 La Gaffelière is a distinctive Saint-Émilion, which should be inferred positively. There is something atypically very tertiary about the nose, beautifully defined and focused with plenty of fruit, yet very complex and cerebral. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and wonderful harmony. The silky texture belies the structure underneath and the finish is extraordinarily long. Ancient vintages of La Gaffelière like the 1961 are legendary. This ranks alongside them - the best I have ever tasted. Magnificent.
The 2019 La Gaffeliere is composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it spills from the glass with alluring notions of black raspberries, boysenberry preserves, Morello cherries, and roses, plus suggestions of Ceylon tea, dried mint, and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is elegantly crafted and refreshing, bursting with bright, lively fruit, finishing long and achingly floral. This is an effortlessly gorgeous Saint-Emilion, not to be missed.
