Château Canon-La-Gaffelière

A leper colony once existed in the area around the château, and Canon La Gaffelière takes its name from it: 'gaffet' is French for leper. In the 17th century the estate formed part of the de Malet-Roquefort domain. Count Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg, who owned and operated the Weingut des Grafen Neipperg estate in Württemberg, acquired Château Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte in 1971, followed by Clos de l'Oratoire and Château Peyreau a few months later. The von Neipperg earldom was established in the 12th century in Germany's northern Württemberg Valley, Schwaigern remains the family seat, and the family has made wine in Germany since the 13th century. Stephan von Neipperg, Joseph-Hubert's son, took over management of the Bordeaux estates in 1985.

• 17th century: the estate formed part of the de Malet-Roquefort domain.
• 1971: Count Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg acquired Château Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte; Clos de l'Oratoire and Château Peyreau followed a few months later.
• 1985: Stephan von Neipperg took over management.
• 2014: the first vintage certified organic by FR-BIO-10.

The von Neipperg family has owned the estate since 1971. Stephan von Neipperg manages the Bordeaux estates acquired by his family in 1971, a role he took over in 1985. His son Ludovic von Neipperg joined the family business as Technical Director in March 2021. In 1996, after a cellar master left, Stephan von Neipperg brought in Stéphane Derenoncourt, who was then working at Château Pavie-Macquin.

• Owner: the von Neipperg family, since 1971.
• Manager of the Bordeaux estates: Stephan von Neipperg, since 1985.
• Technical Director: Ludovic von Neipperg, since March 2021.
• 1996: Stéphane Derenoncourt joined after a cellar master left.

Canon La Gaffelière lies on the pied de côte (foot of the slope) south of the medieval village of Saint-Émilion. Its terroir consists of clay-limestone and clay-sand soil that is very permeable and particularly efficient at retaining heat. The 19.5 hectares (48 acres) under vine are planted to 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, a choice of varieties the estate calls rather atypical for the appellation; the Cabernets ripen early and remarkably well on the warm soil. The average age of the vines is 50 years. Since the 1990s, the oldest vines in the von Neipperg vineyards have been propagated by mass selection.

• Terroir: clay-limestone and clay-sand soil at the foot of the slope.
• Area under vine: 19.5 ha (48 acres); average vine age 50 years.
• Grape varieties: 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Harvest by hand into small crates, with sorting before and after destemming.

The von Neipperg ecological commitment dates from 1988 and relies on natural methods such as green cover, composting and the planting of hedges. Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg appointed a person in charge of research and development in 2006. Many years of work culminated in organic certification (FR-BIO-10) for Château Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte, with 2014 as the first certified vintage, and both estates also obtained ISO 14001 certification as part of an Environmental Management System.

• Ecological approach applied since 1988: green cover, composting and hedge planting.
• First vintage certified organic by FR-BIO-10: 2014.
• ISO 14001 certification as part of an Environmental Management System.

Grapes are picked by hand into small crates, sorted before and after destemming and not crushed; they arrive on a conveyor belt. The vat room was designed so that wine from each plot can be fermented and kept separately to fine-tune the final blend. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled wooden vats for 28 to 35 days depending on the vintage, with extraction by pneumatic pigeage (punching down the cap), a method the von Neipperg estates adopted in 1997. Malolactic fermentation and ageing follow in new oak barrels (up to 80%) on fine lees for 15 to 18 months depending on the vintage, with fining and filtering as necessary. The 2023 was aged for 15 months, 75% in oak barrels (40% new) on the lees and 25% in wooden and concrete vats, with no fining.

• Fermentation: temperature-controlled wooden vats, 28 to 35 days, pneumatic pigeage.
• Ageing: on fine lees in new oak barrels (up to 80%) for 15 to 18 months.
• The 1996 was fermented in stainless steel vats with pumping-over; the 1997 was fermented in wooden vats with pneumatic pigeage.
• 2023 vintage: harvested 20 to 29 September 2023; 35% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.5% alcohol.

The classification of the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation has existed since 1955 and is revisable every ten years. In September 2012, Canon-La-Gaffelière, La Mondotte, Larcis-Ducasse and Valandraud were elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé B. The INAO national committee approved the 2022 classification on 8 September 2022: 14 Premiers Grands Crus Classés, two of them with the A distinction, and 71 Grands Crus Classés. Château Canon La Gaffelière and La Mondotte are among the 2022 Premiers Grands Crus Classés; the A distinction went to Château Figeac and Château Pavie. Wine Spectator rated the 1990, 1995 and 1998 vintages at 95 points each on release.

• 2012: elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé B, alongside La Mondotte, Larcis-Ducasse and Valandraud.
• 2022: one of 14 Premiers Grands Crus Classés; the A distinction went to Château Figeac and Château Pavie.
• Wine Spectator: 95 points on release for each of the 1990, 1995 and 1998 vintages.

Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg, based in Saint-Émilion, presents Château Canon La Gaffelière alongside La Mondotte, Clos de l'Oratoire, Château Peyreau, Château d'Aiguilhe and Clos Marsalette. La Mondotte has 4.5 hectares of vines on the clay-limestone plateau east of Saint-Émilion, planted to 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, and has been certified organic since 2014. Clos de l'Oratoire, a Grand Cru Classé on Saint-Émilion's northeast slope, has 13.07 hectares of vines planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Château d'Aiguilhe lies in the Côtes de Castillon appellation.

• La Mondotte: Premier Grand Cru Classé; 4.5 ha, 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc; average vine age 60 years.
• Clos de l'Oratoire: Grand Cru Classé; 13.07 ha, 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc; average vine age 35 years.
• Château d'Aiguilhe: Côtes de Castillon.

Château Canon La Gaffelière calls its wines 'classy, remarkably well-structured, complex, pure, and always elegant.' On the estate's warm soil, the Cabernets add power and aromatic complexity to Merlot's opulence 'to create wines of natural elegance and finesse.' The family sets Canon La Gaffelière's complexity and elegance against the power and minerality of La Mondotte. Winemaking is non-interventionist and aims to make the most of vintage character.

Primary sources (producer's own site, Vignobles Comtes von Neipperg): https://www.neipperg.com/en/homepage.html, https://www.neipperg.com/en/discover/chateau-canon-la-gaffeliere-saint-emilion.html, https://www.neipperg.com/en/a-precious-heritage.html, https://www.neipperg.com/en/winemaking/respect-for-the-vines.html, https://www.neipperg.com/en/winemaking/understanding-the-terroir.html, https://www.neipperg.com/en/winemaking/winemaking-philosophy.html, https://www.neipperg.com/en/discover/la-mondotte.html, https://www.neipperg.com/en/discover/clos-de-l-oratoire.html. Official source: INAO press release of 8 September 2022, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2024-10/CP_Classement%20St%20Emilion_08%2009%202022.pdf. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/wine-travel/chateau-canon-la-gaffeliere-67314/, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/armed-with-charm-2943 (Bruce Schoenfeld, 22 February 2006), https://www.winespectator.com/articles/st-emilion-issues-a-surprising-new-classification-47276 (7 September 2012). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.