Dynamically and minerally young wine with blackberry and blueberry character. Full body. Firm tannins and a fresh finish. Shows structure and intensity. Focused and classy. Love the finish. - March 2017

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 La Gaffeliere opens with compelling wild blueberries, freshly crushed plums and kirsch scents plus hints of garrigue, underbrush, rose hip tea and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully elegant with a soft, velvety texture and seamless freshness carrying the multilayered fruit to a long finish.

An up-and-coming St Emilion with vines located on the lower slopes of the town and overlooked by the exceptional Ausone estate. Such a pretty nose, lovely violet perfume from the Cabernet Franc, exotic and spiced with real purity of fruit. Firm, sweet tannins add structure to a featherweight palate which has real concentration and finesse. Great spice on the finish. - April 2017

The 2016 La Gaffelière is not a huge Saint-Émilion, but rather a wine of total finesse and class. I loved it. The blend is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, with the Franc very much in evidence in the perfumed, bright notes it contributes to the wine. Stéphane Derenoncourt and Simon Blanchard consult. - vinous.com, April 2017

Lively, with light savory and spearmint hints flecked throughout, while the core of currant and fig fruit sits atop some medium-weight brambly grip. A good juicy edge through the finish pulls it together. Very solid. - James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, April 2017)

The 2016 La Gaffeliere has a reserved bouquet at first, one that gradually unfurls with quite intense black cherry and sloes, yet there seems to be a welcome restraint, a Saint Emilion that knows how important it was to not "push" the fruit too much. The palate is medium-bodied with very smooth and rounded tannin. The acidity here is nicely judged, and it feels very cohesive, with dark berry fruit mixed with a little cola and plenty of black pepper towards the satisfying finish. Maybe it would benefit from more on the aftertaste, but otherwise this is an excellent La Gaffelière, a château that is now beginning to deliver the goods. - Wine Advocate #230, April 2017

70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Still a youthful, crimson hue. Aromatically less precise with briary, dark-fruit notes but the palate is poised and harmonious. Lighter hand on the tiller compared with 2014 and 2015, the tannins and fruit more refined and there’s plenty of freshness, too. Clean and long with drive on the finish. (JL)

Purpler than some crimsons. Smells of digestive biscuits dunked in milky tea. Round – not a single jagged tannin though some well-rounded ones on the finish – and makes quite an impact on the palate. Savoury finish. Not so much typical St-Emilion as its own style. Throbs a bit on the persistent palate. (JR)