2020 Château La Gaffelière Clos La Gaffelière Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Château La Gaffelière is a domain owned by the Malet de Rouquefort family for 5 centuries. Since 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 from 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 harvest year. 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 already drinking well, 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 handpicked 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 between this wine and its big brother that this wine only gets one year (new) of French oak barrels. Clos La Gaffelière now has a permanent and recognized identity. in the past, this wine was only offered to private customers, but since 2000 sales have also been made through the Bordeaux negotiators. 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 rest in the wine fridge or cellar for a few more years.

The grapes for the Château La Gaffelière Saint-Émilion (and the 2nd wine de Clos) are transported in small boxes and immediately placed in cold storage (8 ° C) overnight. 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 on grape level and only the best berries are used. The ones that fall out (more than 30%) are fruit 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 under the sorting area to the 'barrel room' by natural gravity
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 with its stone walls and wooden frame. Each plot is individually processed and vinified to extract the best expression of its terroir. Because the underground cellar is located below the barrel room, 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, remain in the barrels for 16 months and then receive some bottle aging before we can enjoy the wine.