1961 La Gaffeliere
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Tasting notes
This stunner offers everything you could hope for in an aged Bordeaux. Cigar box, truffle, spice, licorice, and plums are all over the place, in the nose, and on the palate. There is ample concentration and a creamy, plummy, earthy finish that steals the show. Drink from 2026-2031.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
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When I last wrote about this wine, I commented that the wine required drinking up, but a bottle I tasted in France in 1990 had more depth and freshness. It could easily have held up for another 7-8 years. Medium ruby with some amber/rust color at the edge, the bouquet exhibits the vintage's telltale intensity and opulence. In the mouth, the wine is ripe and full, with an underlying spicy, mineral-like fruitiness. The finish is long and alcoholic. It should be drunk up, but based on the most recent bottle I tasted, it could hold up to another 4-5 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: Now-may be in decline. Last tasted, 11/90.
About the producer
Bordering both Ausone and Pavie, this property has been owned by the De Malet Roquefort line for over 300 years – making them the oldest winegrowing family in Saint-Emilion.