The second label made by the team of château La Gaffelière. Born in 1985, Clos La Gaffelière has his own vat room and cellars. Ageing is done, in large part, in one and two years old barrels.
The blend is usually a large majority of Merlot ( up to 90%) and the rest of Cabernet Franc 90% from our clayey foothills ,this wine made by the team of Château La Gaffelière, it is vinified and aged with just as much care as the lots making up the first wine.
An authentic, pleasure-giving and easy drinking wine.
On specific foreign markets, Clos is sold under the label DAME GAFFELIERE.
Vineyard
Area: 38 hectares, of which 22 hectares of 1st Grand Cru Classé
Soil: clayey foothills
Plantings:70% Merlot et 30% Cabernet Franc Viticulture Integrated farming. Pruning in single and double Guyot, grass cover between rows, leaf removal and green harvest. Hand picked into small crates.
Date of Harvest
Merlot: 20 september to 1 october
Cabernet Franc: 9 and 10 october
Vinification
Sorting of grapes by density (berry sorting)
Vinification by parcel in stainless-steel temperature-controlled tanks, filled by gravity without sulfur. Alcoholic fermentation with pumping over and punching down. Malolactic fermentation in tanks.
Ageing
12 months: 15% new oak and the rest in one- and two-year barrels.
3 rackings
General characteristics of the vintage
The winter was very wet, so it was difficult to get into the vineyard before the beginning of April. Bud burst occurred in early April.
We escaped two hailstorms at the end of May. Flowering was accompanied by heavy rainfall but fortunately fruit set was not much affected. Storms in June and July accentuated the pressure from mildew until véraison, which occurred at the end of July for the Merlot and during August for the Cabernet Franc. Early August saw a heatwave, with temperatures approaching 40°C, causing some blockage at the end of véraison.
We had to do some thinning on the Cabernet Franc for ripening purposes, by cutting out bunches showing delayed véraison.The
high temperatures and the mild weather allowed for harvesting in good conditions. Cool nights and warm days favoured finesse in the
tannins.
Blend 2018
90% Merlot et 10% Cabernet Franc