Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé 2011, Château La Gaffelière

This is a fine Saint-Emilion of the old school, with lovely sumptuousness of fruit and tannins which were chewy when young, but are now mellowing to a wonderful, velvet plushness. The Château La Gaffelière vineyard is superbly-situated: oriented towards the south, and covering 25 hectares, 22 of which are in a single parcel between Châteaux Ausone and Pavie. Hillsides are calcareous clay, while the lower slopes are more sandy. The vineyard is planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.