2019 Château La Gaffelière Clos La Gaffelière Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Château La Gaffelière is a domain that has been owned by the Malet de Rouquefort family for 5 centuries. From the moment Stéphane Derenoncourt takes care of the wine cellar, it has been among the most beautiful wines of Saint-Emilion.

CLOS LA GAFFELIÈRE Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is the second wine of Chateau La Gaffelière. The Clos was first born in 1985 and is mainly produced from the (relatively) young vines. The blend of the Clos La Gaffelières is Merlot and the French Cabernet Franc, the percentage of which varies according to the quality of the vintage. The Clos is a real wine to enjoy, especially because this second wine is still very affordable for a top house from Saint Emilion. The wine is ready to drink, but will refine over the years. The ideal drinking window is between 2019 and 2028. The work in the plots of Clos is the same as in the plots for the first label: (Chateau La Gaffeliere 1er Grand Cru Classé) so a lot of pruning (both the grapes and the leaves) and everything is hand-picked by experienced pickers so that a first selection already takes place in the vineyard. The same process is also followed in the Chateau as with the first wine, with the difference with its big brother that this wine is only aged for one year (new) French oak barrels. Clos La Gaffelière now has a fixed and recognized identity. in the past, this wine was only offered to private customers, but since 2000, it has also been sold through the Bordeaux negociants. In specific foreign markets, the Clos is sold under the DAME GAFFELIERE label. As with the 1st wine, we buy the wine directly, so no hassle with wanted wine in warm containers and endless transport, but in our case the wine goes directly from the cellars of the chateau to our conditioned Wine Warehouse in Dordrecht.

The grapes come from vineyards of 38 hectares, of which 22 hectares are 1st Grand Cru Classé. The vineyards are on a limestone plateau with more siliceous at the foot of the slopes. The Clos is a blend of 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc

The Clos La Gaffelière Saint-Emilion Grand Cru is a very elegant wine. The wine has a beautiful fresh red color with fresh red and dark berries on the nose, as well as light mocha and spices from the Middle East. The palate has spicy flavors with soft, fine tannins and an attractive full body. Perfect to drink now, but can also be kept in the wine fridge or cellar for a few years.

The grapes for the Château La Gaffelière Saint-Émilion (and the 2nd wine the Clos) are transported in small boxes and immediately kept overnight in a cold storage (8 ° C). The next morning the bunches are mechanically destemmed and the berries are sent to the optical sorting machine via a conveyor belt. This (very expensive) high tech machine selects at grape level and only the best berries are used. The ones that drop out (more than 30%) are fruits that are sold and do not enter the 1st or 2nd wine of Gaffelière.

Everything at Château La Gaffelière works with gravity so that pumping is avoided (gives unnecessary oxygen). The grapes fall by natural gravity below the sorting area to the 'barrel chamber'
and consists of 20 temperature-controlled tanks, made of stainless steel and in the shape of an inverted truncated cone. This new space dedicated to vinification is high-tech, innovative, aesthetic and practical. However, the architecture remains traditional due to its stone walls and wooden frame. Each parcel is individually processed and vinified to bring out the best expression of its terroir.

Since the underground cellar is located below the barrel chamber, natural gravity is also used to transfer the wine to the oak barrels where it is allowed to mature in peace. Approximately 50% is new French oak barrels, then both the Château La Gaffelière and the 2nd wine the Clos La Gaffelière stay in the barrels for 16 months and then get some bottle aging before we can enjoy the wine.

93-94/100 James Suckling