Chateau La Gaffeliere 2018

An Exceptional Premier Grand Cru Classé from Saint-Émilion

The property

Located at the southern entrance of the village of Saint-Émilion, the Château La Gaffelière, a Premier Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Émilion, testifies to very ancient origins. Mosaics discovered during excavations have confirmed the presence of the vine on the estate since the Gallo-Roman era. Owned by the Malet Roquefort family for over three centuries and located in the "golden triangle" between the hills of the Pavie and Ausone châteaux, Château La Gaffelière embodies the excellence of the great wines of Saint-Émilion.

The vineyard

The vineyard of Château La Gaffelière spans 38 hectares, 22 of which are Premier Grand Cru Classé. This vineyard is located in 3 different zones. Thus, we find the famous limestone plateau with asterias of Saint-Émilion, the outcrops of clayey Molasses from Fronsadais, or even the deep carbonated sands. The vineyard of Château La Gaffelière is managed using sustainable agriculture, favoring the gentlest intervention methods.

The wine

In addition to being qualitatively exceptional, 2018 is a special vintage for the property as it coincides with the 60th harvest of Léo de Malet Roquefort. On this occasion, the Château La Gaffelière 2018 is dressed in a reissue identical to the label of the 1959 vintage.

The vintage

2018 will be remembered as a year marked by strong climatic contrasts with many winter and spring precipitations. Château La Gaffelière escaped the hail episodes that struck Bordeaux at the end of May. However, the property was exposed to significant mildew pressure until the end of July. The beautiful summer then continued with scorching temperatures. All the efforts and attention of the technical teams of Château La Gaffelière were therefore necessary to allow the vine to give its best. Harvesting began calmly from September 10 with the Merlots and ended on October 9 with the Cabernet Francs, the harvest took place under the best conditions.

Vinification and aging

Once the grapes are manually harvested, they are exposed in a cold room for 12 hours, at a temperature of 7 degrees before undergoing optical sorting. The juices are then vinified by parcel with gravity vatting, without the use of sulfur. The estate's grand wine, Château La Gaffelière 2018, is aged for 14 months in oak barrels, 60% of which are new oak.

Blend

Merlot (58%)
Cabernet Franc (42%).