Château Canon la Gaffelière 1er Grand Cru Classé B 2015

Lot presentation

Château Canon la Gaffelière 1er Grand Cru Classé B 2015

The wine

Possessed by a passion for the world of wine since the 13th century, the Niepperg family, of aristocratic German descent, finally decided to settle in the Bordeaux region - where else? -in 1971. They purchased Château Canon La Gaffelière and several other holdings in Saint Emilion, including La Mondotte and Clos de l'Oratoire.

While the 20th century saw a long, difficult period for the property, with the wines frequently being considered too lightweight, the arrival of Stephan von Niepperg, the owner's son, as manager in 1984, resulted in a considerable improvement in quality, which only really took effect with the 1988 vintage, as it took three years to revitalize the soil and the vines, and to establish new working methods, with the use of exclusively organic compost, moderate yields, manual harvests, increased use of new barrels (up to 100% depending on the year), and the creation of a second wine in order to be able to separate any grapes of insufficient quality to be used in the main wine. All of these techniques were new to the property, which almost certainly explains the very average quality of the previous wines. This ¿renaissance¿ was confirmed with the following two vintages, and then, with the spectacular successes of 1992, 1993 and 1997, the property firmly established itself as one of the new stars of Saint Emilion.

Canon la Gaffelière's wines are often described as ¿warm¿, a quality that they no doubt share with the affable personality of the owner. They present a remarkable aromatic range, offering red fruit, toast, plums, cinnamon and other spices, and need between ten and fifteen years in the cellar to reach full maturity.

Driven by a long-standing passion for wine, the aristocratic German Niepperg family chose in 1971 to establish themselves in Bordeaux, acquiring Château Canon La Gaffelière along with several other Saint-Émilion estates, including La Mondotte and Clos de l’Oratoire.
The 20th century was a challenging period for the property, with wines often criticised for lacking depth. A decisive turning point came in 1984, when Stephan von Neipperg, son of the previous owner, assumed responsibility for the estate. The qualitative transformation became evident from the 1988 vintage onward, following three years dedicated to restoring the soils and vines and implementing new working methods: exclusive use of organic fertilisers, moderated yields, manual harvesting, greater reliance on new oak, reaching up to 100% in certain vintages, and the creation of a Second Wine to allow for stricter selection of fruit for the First Wine.
These practices, previously unknown at the estate, help explain the distinctly average quality of its earlier wines. The revival was confirmed in the next two vintages, and again with the notably successful 1992, 1993 and 1997 releases, firmly establishing the property among the leading names of Saint-Émilion. With the support of Stéphane Derenoncourt, Stephan von Neipperg definitely restored the château to its former prestige. Now promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé status and certified organic since 2014, Canon La Gaffelière looks set for a remarkable future.