Château La Gaffelière: The 20th Century
In the early 20th century the authors of Cocks et Féret, the Bordeaux bible, having overlooked this domaine in several older editions, seem to have suddenly woken up to recognise its existence, and to the quality of its wines. They noted in their profile of the estate that it was an old logis, a very brief distance from the railway station, with an attractive park. Part of the estate was said to be on the Coteau de Naudes, the vines close to the château, neighbouring those of Château Ausone, Château Bel-Air and Château Magdelaine (now combined under the name Château Bélair-Monange of course). Its wine was classed among the premiers crus of the appellation, and it was noted to have enjoyed further success in competitions, picking up gold medals at expositions in Paris, Bordeaux, Anvers, Liège and even in Saint Louis in the USA.
Of the two siblings who inherited the estate, it would appear to be Louis Alexandre who had the greater role to play. In the 1922 Cocks et Féret the proprietor was noted to be Comte Louis de Malet-Roquefort, and this is certainly Louis-Alexandre. He was subsequently married, in 1930, to Alice Augusta Amandine Fouchou, a union which produced a son named Léo de Malet-Roquefort, but which then ended in divorce, in 1948.
