2023 Château La Gaffelière, St Emilion, Bordeaux

58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.

Elegant and floral. Terroir-driven on the palate. Tight and firmly structured. It's a touch reticent and austere at the moment but with clear potential. Worth waiting.

Drink 2030 - 2042

The 2023 La Gaffelière is a dense, powerful wine. As has been the case since 2018, La Gaffelière has a strong Franc component—40% in 2023. Usually, the aromatics are quite lifted, but this wine is rather dense. Nothing in particular stands out, as all the elements are impeccably balanced. This will need time to be at its best, but it shows promise. The introduction of 500-litre barrels and a reduction of new oak closes the wine a bit, but there's a ton of raw energy here and a good bit of tannin, too.

Drink 2030 - 2048

The centre palate reflects excellent terroir, with blackberry, black olive and walnut aromas and flavours—a tight centre palate with firm but creamy tannins and a flavourful, classy finish.

The 2023 La Gaffelière is very pure and floral on the nose, with black cherries intermingling with violet and iris flower scents. The new oak is neatly integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and layers of lightly spiced black fruit. Cedar and graphite furnish the poised but persistent finish. This is another in a succession of impressive wines from this estate that just oozes sensuality. Superb.

Drink 2029 - 2055

One of the stars of the vintage, the 2023 Château La Gaffelière, checks in as 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, resting in 50% new barrels. Cassis, smoked black fruits, graphite, and crushed stone all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, layered, concentrated mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, and a great finish. It has a lot of oak but more than enough fruit and texture. It’s serious stuff.

Love the depth and the vibrant fruit character here, and the vivid reflections to the colour. Chalky, fresh, extremely vibrant, real mineral pumice stone texture, and a clear reminder of its limestone soils. Aged in barrels and large oak casks. Tasted twice. Now withdrawn from the St Emilion classification. Alexandre de Malet-Roquefort owner.

Drink 2030 - 2048

A deep nose, floral, so perfumed, lots of ripe black bramble fruit. Concentrated and so full, there’s density on the palate, there’s so much ripe red fruit that fills the mouth with a soft grip to the tannins that support the fruit but doesn't overwhelm. This feels instantly classy, layered and complex with a gentle confidence. It’s round and slightly fleshy, although feels sculpted and muscular with volume, a lovely juiciness and a touch of dark chocolate, cedar and liquorice on the finish. Sophisticated.

Drink 2029 - 2050