Château La Gaffelière 2020

Nestled in the heart of the rolling vineyards of Saint-Émilion, Château La Gaffelière embodies the elegance and tradition of Bordeaux wine. Its history dates back several centuries, bearing witness to the richness of the terroir in this region.

The first traces of vines at La Gaffelière date back to the Middle Ages, but it was in the 18th century that the property acquired its distinctive character. The estate was then owned by the Malet-Roquefort family, who gave it its current name. Under their direction, La Gaffelière gained a reputation for quality and excellence in wine production. Over the centuries, La Gaffelière changed hands several times, but its commitment to quality remained constant. However, it was in the early 20th century that the estate entered a new era of prosperity with the arrival of the Malet de Roquefort family, who revitalized the property and modernized winemaking techniques.

In the 1980s, Château La Gaffelière came under the direction of the de Schepper-Heylemans family, who continued the commitment of their predecessors to excellence and innovation. Under their leadership, the estate continued to produce renowned wines, blending tradition and modernity to create expressive and elegant wines that capture the very essence of Saint-Émilion. The vineyards of La Gaffelière extend over approximately 40 hectares, benefiting from an exceptional terroir composed of clay-limestone soils and gravel, ideal for growing the emblematic grape varieties of Bordeaux: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

La Gaffelière wines are renowned for their elegance, complexity, and ability to age gracefully in the bottle. Their style is characterized by seductive aromas of ripe fruits, silky tannins, and a harmonious structure that reveals the finesse and depth of Saint-Émilion's terroir. Today, Château La Gaffelière remains a symbol of winemaking excellence in Saint-Émilion, with the de Schepper-Heylemans family at its helm, perpetuating with passion and dedication the heritage of this property.

"The 2020 La Gaffelière is superb. Rich, dense and explosive. Black cherry, gravel, licorice, grilled herbs and menthol race out of the glass. Deep, pliant and explosive, the 2020 is magnificent. At this stage, the 2020 is an infant, but that won't be a problem in a few years. This vivid, statuesque Saint-Émilion is nothing short of thrilling." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (02/24/2023), Ratings: 98

"Deep purple-black colored, the 2020 La Gaffeliere gallops out of the glass with exuberant scents of crushed black plums, boysenberries and fresh blackberries, plus hints of eucalyptus, dark chocolate, crushed rocks and iron ore, with a waft of lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with compelling energy, delivering layers of black and red berries with fantastic tension and finely grained tannins, finishing very long and wonderfully minerally." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate, (05/20/2021), Ratings: 96-98, Drink: 2026-2050

"The 2020 La Gaffelière was a knockout out of barrel and so expectations were high broaching the wine in bottle. It delivers a sumptuous yet beautifully-defined bouquet with pure black cherry and red plum aromas, an underlying mineralité that keeps it on its toes. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, quite saline, perhaps still a little closed post-bottling but with plenty of tension running from start to finish. It's a Saint-Émilion that says bugger off and come back (a lot) later." - Neal Martin, Vinous, (02/15/2023), Ratings: 96