The 2024 La Gaffelière confirms its place as one of the top properties in Saint-Émilion in this challenging vintage. Bright and dynamic in the glass, with terrific persistence, the 2024 sizzles with tension. Crushed flowers, mint, lavender and crushed rocks open in the glass. The finesse of the tannins is impossible to miss. The 2024 is not a huge wine, but its finesse is evident. Blue/purplish fruit, slate and clean mineral overtones extend the long, sculpted finish. Tasted three times.

Château La Gaffelière (Saint-Émilion; 60% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Franc; certified organic; 14% alcohol; aged in 50% new oak; yield 45 hl/ha; tasted at the property). Strikingly floral with violets, lavender, blue fruits and rose petals. A thread of limestone chalkiness weaves through both nose and palate. The attack is vibrant and energetic, opening into a more spherical mid-palate of redcurrants, cranberries and graphite. The tannins are beautifully integrated and the finish is finesse-driven and mineral.

The 2024 La Gaffelière was picked from September 24 to October 8 at 42 hl/ha, aged in 60% new oak including 10% in 500-liter casks. This has a very seductive bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry and light Indian ink scents unfolding in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with succulent tannins, impressive mid-weight density and a crisp, mineral finish. La Gaffelière has been on a run of form recently and the 2024 overcomes the challenges of the vintage with style.

Based on 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, and aging in 50% new oak, the 2024 Château La Gaffelière sports a deep purple hue and reveals darker cherries, blue fruits, graphite, and floral nuances. Medium-bodied and nicely concentrated, it has a focused, elegant mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish.

Smoky oak impact on the opening, dense fruit to accompany, with lilac and iris, chalky palma violets, good quality and texture, cloves and cassis. Austerity comes in pretty strongly through the mid palate, this is one to look out for after ageing, and is a potential upscore in bottle. Third vintage since they stepped back from the classification. Harvest 25 September to 7 October. 50% new oak. Tasted twice.

Flowers, oceanic and marine influences, black cherries, plums, cocoa, espresso, and licorice fill the nose with their perfume. On the palate, the wine is fresh, vibrant, fruity, and juicy, with its salty-edged, plummy profile. Elegant and lively, it can be enjoyed after just a few years of aging. The wine blends 60% Merlot, with 40% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% ABV. Harvesting took place, September 24 - October 8. Drink from 2028-2042.

Unwinding in the glass with a gently oaky bouquet of dark berries, spices, mulberries and licorice, the 2024 La Gaffelière is medium to full-bodied, lively and tense. Its incisive mid-palate is framed by brittle tannins that assert themselves in a short, chalky finish. Time will likely tame its slight rusticity.

60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Aromatically appealing. Floral and red-berry notes. Layered fruit on the palate with finely integrated tannins. Juicy and digeste then firm and persistent on the finish. Some ageing potential. (JL)