# 67 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2022 edition - 2019 vintage)
#69 Wine Spectator Top 100 (2001 edition - 1998 vintage)
 
99-Points by Vinous.
The 2018 La Gaffelière is hands down one of the wines of the vintage. Towering in its stature and vertical lift, the 2018 dazzles right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, mocha, spice, licorice and leather all run through this deep, wonderfully pliant Saint-Émilion. The 2018 is rich, deep and beautifully resonant, with tremendous depth and tons of stature that builds, all framed by beams of supporting minerality that confer vibrancy. La Gaffelière is distinctive, alluring and arresting right out of the gate. It is another magnificent showing from this reborn estate. Magnifique!
Blend: 58% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Franc.
 
Château La Gaffelière is a Bordeaux wine estate in the appellation of Saint-Émilion, and one of the oldest family-owned vineyards in the region. As with many of its neighbors, Château La Gaffelière's wine is Merlot-dominant, with a small proportion of Cabernet Franc. The estate is located just south of Saint-Émilion town, with the château buildings at the foot of the so-called St-Emilion plateau (Château Ausone lies at the top of the slope above La Gaffelière while Château Pavie sits to the east).
Vineyard and winemaking
In all, the property boasts 22 hectares (54 acres) of vineyard. Of this roughly 70 percent is planted to Merlot and 30 percent to Cabernet Franc. La Gaffelière's lies on the lower slope, facing broadly southeast. Plots are situated on all threee of the major Saint-Émilion terroirs; the limestone plateau, the clay-limestone slope and the foot of the slope with a high silica content.
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 (of which, on average, about half are new oak) for around 12 to 15 months. 
Withdrawal from classification
The estate was ranked as a Premier Grand Cru Classé in the original 1955 Saint-Émilion classification, and as of the 2021 vintage was classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé "B". However, effective with the 2022 vintage the property was withdrawn from the dispute-ridden classification structure (like Cheval Blanc, Ausone and others) and is now a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.
 
Saint-Emilion Wine
Alongside Pomerol, Saint-Émilion is the biggest name in Bordeaux's so-called "Right Bank" zone at the northeastern end of the wine region.
 
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.