Château La Gaffelière 2016

A deep and highly distinctive Saint-Émilion 1er Cru Classé

The estate

Located to the south of the village of Saint-Émilion, Château La Gaffelière, Premier Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion, boasts ancient origins. The discovery of mosaics during excavations confirmed the presence of vines on the estate as early as the Gallo-Roman era. Owned by the Malet Roquefort family for more than three centuries and located in the "golden triangle" between the hills of Châteaux Pavie and Ausone, Château La Gaffelière embodies the excellence of fine red Saint-Émilion wines.

The vineyard

The vineyard of Château La Gaffelière covers 38 hectares, 22 of which are Premier Grand Cru Classé. The vineyard is planted in 3 different areas. Here we find the most famous limestone plateau, an outcropping of clayey ‘’Molasses from Fronsadais’’ and the deep carbonate-rich sands. The vineyard of Château La Gaffelière is managed in a sustainable manner, emphasising the most gentle practices and interventions.

The vintage

2016 was marked by very heavy rainfall during winter and part of spring. At the end of May, the promising weather conditions during the flowering period favoured the vineyard's fertility. The hot and dry summer combined with the clayey nature of the vineyard, the work on the soil to encourage the deep rooting of the vines and the team’s meticulous work to maintain a perfectly healthy vineyard were beneficial.

Two storms in September launched the ripening process and were followed by an Indian summer that combined cool nights and hot days. These conditions are beneficial and gradually and gently refined the tannins up until the harvesting of perfectly ripe grapes.

Vinification and ageing

The tailor-made vinification of Château La Gaffelière 2016 is carried out in the vat room, which was renovated in 2013, and enables the teams to precisely manage each plot. Following destemming, the grapes are conditioned for 12 hours in a cold room at 7°C before being selected with an optical sorting method. The vinification is carried out in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks filled using the gravity-flow method. Alcoholic fermentation along with regular pumping over and punching down. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vats (75%) and barrels (25%). The wine is aged for 14 months in French oak barrels (50% in new barrels).

The blend

Merlot (70%)

Cabernet Franc (30%).

Château La Gaffelière 2016: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour

Dark, inky colour with subtle blue highlights.

Nose

Tense and very pure on the attack, the nose exudes the beautifully fresh aromatic richness of freshly-picked black fruit.

Palate

Lively and with a great deal of depth, the palate reveals a very refined and delicate tannic structure.