45 Insta-Days in Bordeaux: 4 - Chateau La Gaffeliere
- Luma Monteiro
- Nov 18, 2018
- 2 min read

Let the sommelier tells you the story
Château La Gaffelière is a Bordeaux wine estate in the appellation of Saint-Émilion. It is ranked as a Premier Grand Cru Classé B, and is one of the oldest family-owned vineyards in the region. Like many of its neighbors, Château La Gaffelière's wine is Merlot-dominant, with a small proportion of Cabernet Franc.
Preparing the wine
Chateau La Gaffeliere is better with 8-12 years of bottle age.
They reach the peak of maturity between 9-30 years of life.
Younger vintages can be decanted for 2-3 hours. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume.
Older vintages need very little decanting, just to remove the sediments.
VSPIN time: young vintages – Speed 3, Spin time 3:00
Older Vintages – Speed 2, Spin time 2:30
Pour it Up, Pour it Up
Château La Gaffelière is owned by Léo de Malet Roquefort. Located in the centre of the St. Emilion appellation, due south of St. Emilion town, the property shares a similar climate to that enjoyed by both St.Emilion and Pomerol: more continental than the maritime Médoc, with generally more spring rainfall, though less in summer and winter.
Château La Gaffelière should not be confused with the adjacent but separately-owned Château Canon La Gaffelière.
The estate is located just south of Saint-Émilion town, to the west of Château Pavie. There are around 20 hectares (50 acres) of vineyards, mostly planted to Merlot with a small amount of Cabernet Franc, although recent changes to the vineyard mean the exact proportions could change in the future. In the winery, the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, with malolactic fermentation taking place in barrel. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for up to 20 months.
Swirling in the glass
🍒Black cherry and 🍫dark chocolate definitely are the words for this wine.
With less body than the previous St. Émilions of this Special, it keeps the freshness of the dark fruits (blueberries and blackberries) with an earthy touch! A delicious hint of smoke and 🍭licorice, also brings ☕️coffee notes!
Silky with a long finish! Great great wine!
Pairing
Classic meat dishes: veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game and roast chicken
roasted, braised and grilled dishes
Rich fish like tuna
Mushrooms
Pasta
Understanding in figures
Area under wine
19 hectares
Production
60,000 bottles
Soil
Clay-limestone
Grape varieties
70 % Merlot
30 % Cabernet franc
Barrel ageing
12-14 months
New barrels: 50 %
Second wine
Clos La Gaffelière
Source: Berry Bros and Rubb, Wine-Searcher, The wine cellar insider, Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux
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