La Villa du Palat

On February 1969, at the heart of Château La Gaffeliere’s vineyard, was discovered an outstanding antic site : a large rural mansion/domus. According to the richness of its architecture and decoration, it probably belonged to a wealthy dignitary. The first excavations show it was quite a large wine estate.

The leprosy welcomes the « gaffets »

At that time, there was a leprosarium, by the roadside below the village of St Emilion. The lepers were named “gaffets” after the stick (gaffe) they used to walk and beg ; they gave the name “La Gaffeliere “ to this place.

Guillaume Malet at the Battle of Hastings

The name MALET is one of the most ancient of France : Guillaume Malet distinguished himself on the battlefield of Hastings, in 1066. As a reward for his feats of arms, he was knighted by William the Conqueror, and named Count of Suffolk.

His sons Robert and Durand Malet, knights as well, followed William Duke of Normandie in Conquest of England.

St Louis’ chest

Kept in the Louvre Museum, this chest is adorned with coins bearing the coats of arms of parents and close friends of the French king Louis the IXth ; among them are Jean Malet’s, who escorted St Louis during the crusade for Tunis(8th crusade in 1270).

Louis Malet de Graville,
Admiral of France

Louis Malet, sire of Graville (died in 1516) was a Great Admiral of France, governor of Picardie and Normandie and one of the great lords close to kings Louis XI, Charles VII and Louis XII. He was awarded Knight of the Royal Order in 1486. His portrait is exhibited in the Admirals room in Versailles.

Birth of the branch of the
Malet de Roquefort

The Malets settle in the Chateau de Roquefort in Lugasson (20 kms south St Emilion) by virtue of the wedding of Louis Malet de la Jorie with Marguerite de Calvimont ; upon her father’s death, she inherited the medieval castle of Roquefort. 

Louis II de Malet Roquefort weds
Isabeau de Bonneau de Fonroque

his date highlights the arrival of de Malet Roquefort to St Emilion. Isabeau is a descendant of a family that had settled in this village several generations prior; they own the property of La Gaffeliere, Fonroque and a fortified house on the remparts known today as “logis de Malet Roquefort”.

Salomon de Malet de Roquefort
Commander of the « Septre »

Captain in the Navy, Admiral, Knight of the Royal Order of Saint Louis. He heads this ship between 1781 and 1782, as a part of the squadron of Grasse during Lafayette ‘s expedition to help the future United States of America.

Louis Alexandre
1st Mayor of St Emilion of this family

Louis-Alexandre de Malet Roquefort, Commander of libourne, was mayor of St Emilion twice : from 1821 to 1831 and from 1839 to 1844

Life at la Gaffeliere at the end of the 19th C.

Noel-Georges de Malet Roquefort and Louise Caminade de Chatenay live at La Gaffeliere. The Bordeaux wine market is expanding and trade is flourishing. Time flows between the harvests, the travels, the trips to Bordeaux and the holidays in Puylanquet which they own as well.

Two brothers on the war front

In 1914 Louis Alexandre and Jean his brother, are sent to the front line where they were gassed. Jean, more fragile, will pass away from his injuries in 1921. Louis, stronger, returns to his life back at la Gaffeliere until his natural death in 1958.

Remodelling of the ageing cellar

Designed by the architect Philippe Mazière, this is the first concrete underground cellar in St Emilion, though not in the Medoc region.

A new collaboration

Since 2004, Alexandre and Léo de Malet Roquefort work closely together to run the estate. They take measures to modernise its space while staying faithful to the spirit and the philosophy of the family.

The same year they hired the wine consultant Stephane Derenoncourt who still advises them in winemaking

New inox vat room

The vat room is totally redesigned. It combines high tech and aesthetic. More practical, it is composed of 20 tanks made of purple stainless steel and shaped like an upside down truncated cone. Custom-manufactured, they allow a sharp plot by plot vinification.

The family spirit has never been so strong.

Léo de Malet Roquefort surrounded by his children : Stanislas, Anastasia, Bérangère, Guillaume et Alexandre