Château La Gaffelière 2022

La Gaffelière 2022 is a poised and powerful Saint-Émilion red that captures the energy of its limestone hillside vineyards beneath the famed Ausone plateau. Crafted from 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, it marries depth and richness with remarkable tension and freshness. This is a particularly refined and complete expression of La Gaffelière, already being hailed as one of the standout wines of the estate in recent years.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, La Gaffelière 2022 shows a deep, vibrant ruby-purple hue, signalling both concentration and youth. The nose is wonderfully expressive, with lifted violet florals, dark berries and black cherries layered over notes of licorice, subtle smoke and finely judged oak spice. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied with a multi-dimensional, fleshy core of ripe dark fruit framed by youthful yet finely powdered tannins. The limestone soils speak clearly in the wine’s taut, energetic mid-palate, giving a precise line and a sense of mineral tension. Flavours of black cherry, plum, crushed violets and graphite unfold slowly, followed by hints of cocoa and savory spice. The finish is long, saline and complex, combining vibrancy with charm and leaving a lingering impression of freshness. Built for the cellar, this 2022 has excellent aging potential and should evolve beautifully over 15–25 years, gaining even more nuance and silkiness with time.

Production
La Gaffelière’s vineyards sit on prime Saint-Émilion terroir, primarily limestone and clay-limestone slopes that run up the hillside beneath Château Ausone. This terroir, known for delivering tension, florality and minerality, is at the heart of the 2022 blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Grapes are harvested parcel by parcel at optimal ripeness, with careful sorting to ensure only the best berries make it to the cellar. Vinification is tailored to preserve purity and finesse, with gentle extraction to keep the tannins fine and polished. The wine is then matured for around 19 months in French oak barrels, 50% of which are new, allowing the oak to integrate seamlessly and support, rather than dominate, the character of the fruit and the expression of the limestone soils.

Food & Serving
La Gaffelière 2022 is a superb partner for refined cuisine: think roast lamb with herbs, veal or beef tenderloin, duck breast, or game birds such as pigeon. It also pairs beautifully with truffle dishes, mushroom ragouts, and aged hard cheeses like Comté or aged Gouda. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) to highlight both its aromatic complexity and freshness. In its youth, decanting for 1.5–2 hours is recommended to soften the tannins and allow the bouquet of violets, dark berries and spice to fully open; as it matures, a shorter decant will be sufficient mainly to remove any sediment.

Producer
Château La Gaffelière is one of the historic names of Saint-Émilion, owned by the Malet Roquefort family for several centuries. Long regarded as one of the appellation’s leading estates, it has been instrumental in shaping the reputation of the limestone slopes south of the village. In recent decades, La Gaffelière has undergone a quiet renaissance, with significant work in the vineyards and cellar aimed at highlighting finesse, terroir transparency and aging potential. Its wines are now celebrated for their distinctive blend of Merlot depth and Cabernet Franc aromatic precision, consistently ranking among the most elegant and characterful reds of the Right Bank.

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