Château La Gaffelière - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2005 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Jamessuckling.com

95 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe7/26/2017

This is a vivid and juicy wine with great depth and finesse. Full body, chewy and beautiful. Tight and complex. Still needs time but sexy and beautiful. Stone and chalk. Exciting.

La Revue du Vin de France

16 / 20

the10/20/2014

Robe concentrée, pointe animale et acidité qui donne de l'allonge. On pourra l'ouvrir entre 2018 et 2025.

Wine Advocate

88 / 100

byNeal Martinthe6/29/2009

Tasted single blind at Southwold. This is demonstrating a degree of mustiness on the nose. Boysenberry and damson jam. Gains definition with time. Tannic, backward, lots of stuffy – grippy tannins – fresh but rather dry on the finish. Drink now-2015. Tasted January 2009.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2008

Medium ruby-red. Pure aromas of dark berries, graphite, licorice and spices. Spicy, very dark flavors of cassis, blackberry, minerals and spices, complicated by a musky espresso note and a whiff of smoked meat. Given lovely definition by a firm tannic spine that calls for patience. 91(+?)

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/7/2008

The finest La Gaffeliere I have ever tasted, the prodigious 2005 boasts a dense ruby/purple color in addition to a flamboyant bouquet of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, blackberries, smoked meats, incense, and Asian spice. Fabulously deep and full-bodied as well as ethereal and exceptionally elegant for its explosive richness and intensity, its lightness of being reflects the vineyard’s sensational terroir. This succulent beauty appears to be approachable, but that belies some significant tannins. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030+.

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/22/2008

Jancis Robinson

17.50 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe11/21/2007

Blackush purple! Sumptuous, floral and exotic in supermodern mode. So rich it could almost e Napa Valley! Except that the tannins are more rigorous and obvious. Slightly tarry. You'll need to wait a while for the tannins to soften but this is a wine made to the limits of ripeness. Again, like Angelys, I have marked this up considerably from my primeur note, while ensuring that the note fully describes its style - for modernists only!

Wine Advocate

92-95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/4/2007

Clearly the finest wine made at this estate since the 1961 and 1947, La Gaffeliere’s superb 2005 offers up notes of graphite, black cherry and blackberry liqueur, smoke, licorice, and barbecue spice. Possessing stunning elegance along with superb depth, brilliant precision, and moderately high tannin, this medium to full-bodied wine is a phenomenal effort from a exceptional site that appears to be ready to join St.-Emilion’s elite estates. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030.

Wine Advocate

92-95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/27/2006

This vin de garde is potentially the finest La Gaffeliere I have ever tasted. Its dense purple color, huge tannin, gorgeous ripeness (blackberries, cherries, creosote, graphite), medium to full body, stunning elegance and purity, and expansive texture suggest this dazzling St.-Emilion will be at its finest between 2013-2030+.