Château-La-Gaffelière Saint-Émilion 2019

The 2019 La Gaffelière is a distinctive Saint-Émilion, which should be inferred positively. There is something atypically very tertiary about the nose, beautifully defined and focused with plenty of fruit, yet very complex and cerebral. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity and wonderful harmony. The silky texture belies the structure underneath and the finish is extraordinarily long. Ancient vintages of La Gaffelière like the 1961 are legendary. This ranks alongside them - the best I have ever tasted. Magnificent.

The 2019 La Gaffelière wafts from the glass with a rich bouquet of blackberries and cherries mingled with subtle hints of burning embers and loamy soil that's framed by a deft application of creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, it's a concentrated, vibrant wine built around bright acids and fine, powdery tannins. Its vivid fruit tones and classical balance make this Cabernet Franc-rich blend a promising candidate for sustained bottle age. Anyone who has tasted the great wines this estate produced in the 1950s and 1960s knows how great this site can be; and with stricter selection as well as the elimination of fruit from vines growing on the plain from the blend, that potential appears to be being unleashed at last.

The wine has a dense structure alongside ripe black fruits and generous tannins. Its density brings out the fresh lift of the vintage, giving a wine that has weight and also succulence. Drink from 2026.

This rolls out dense fig, boysenberry and red currant paste flavors laced with pronounced chalky minerality and notes of tobacco, dried anise and juniper. The serious tannic drive on the finish puts this in the 'classically austere' camp. Worth cellaring for sure, but patience is required. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2040. 7,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.