The 2019 Canon la Gaffelière has turned out brilliantly, bursting from the glass with a dramatic bouquet of wild berries, blood orange, exotic spices, rose petals, violets and burning embers. Full-bodied, ample and layered, it's supple and perfumed, with a deep core of lively fruit, melting tannins and a long, saline finish. This contains the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc of any of Stephan Von Neipperg's wines, which no doubt helps to account for its singular personality.
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Canon la Gaffeliere comes roaring out of the glass with exuberant notes of baked blackberries, blueberry compote and redcurrant jelly plus hints of forest floor, dried roses and cedar chest with a waft of fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic density with a firm frame of finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing with lingering layers of bright, energetic fruit.
The 2016 Canon la Gaffeliere is a blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (vines organically certified) picked from 26 September to 15 October and matured in 60% new oak. The yield is 42 hectoliters per hectare. This offers one of the most cerebral aromatics that I have encountered from this Saint Emilion estate: mineral-rich red and black fruit, quite edgy, almost flinty in style. I adore the focus of these aromas that are wired directly into the olfactory senses. The palate is very well balanced and governed by the Cabernet component. The black fruit is lifted by some lovely graphite notes that lend it a very Left Bank-like personality. It is fresh, taut and linear with a very persistent finish. Unlike other vintages of Canon la Gaffelière, I feel that this will require four to five years in bottle. As good as the 2015 last year, it might even surpass it.
Medium to deep garnet-purple coloured, the 2018 Canon la Gaffeliere out of the gate delivers a seductive nose of plum preserves, kirsch and Black Forest cake with nuances of lilacs, underbrush, Indian spices and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is filled with black fruit preserves and loads of spicy accents, supported by chewy tannins and well-balanced freshness, finishing long and savoury.
Composed of 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in French oak, 55% new, for 17 months, the 2015 Canon la Gaffeliere features a deep garnet-purple color and a cedar-laced nose to begin, giving way to fragrant underlying scents of roses and violets with a core of crushed black currants, blackberries and Bing cherries plus hints of fallen leaves and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, the seductively perfumed red and black fruit fills the mouth, framed with plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing very long and minerally.
Château Canon-la-Gaffelière is a renowned wine producer located in the Saint-Émilion appellation of Bordeaux, France. With a long and rich history dating back to the 18th century, the estate is now owned by the Fournier family who have invested heavily in the vineyards and winemaking facilities. The vineyards are situated on the slopes of the Saint-Émilion plateau and are planted with a mix of grape varieties including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The soils are predominantly limestone and clay, providing excellent drainage and imparting a unique minerality to the wines.
The winemaking at Château Canon-la-Gaffelière is a combination of traditional and modern techniques. The grapes are hand-harvested and sorted before being fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in oak barrels, with a mix of new and used barrels, for up to 18 months before being bottled.
The wines of Château Canon-la-Gaffelière are known for their elegance, complexity, and balance. They are typically full-bodied with ripe fruit flavours of blackcurrant, blackberry, and plum, along with notes of spice, tobacco, and cedar. The tannins are firm but well-integrated, providing structure and longevity to the wines.
Château Canon-la-Gaffelière produces several different wines, including the flagship Château Canon-la-Gaffelière, which is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The estate also produces a second wine, Clos de Canon, which is made from younger vines and is aged for a shorter period of time. In addition, the estate produces a white wine, La Mondotte Blanc, which is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
Overall, Château Canon-la-Gaffelière is a producer of exceptional wines that are highly sought after by wine enthusiasts around the world. The combination of the estate's rich history, exceptional vineyards, and skilled winemaking techniques make it a true gem of the Bordeaux wine region.
Proprietor Comtes von Neipperg has done an incredible job with this estate, turning things around from a vegetal, diluted and undernourished wine in the 1970s and 1980s to something that has gotten stronger and strong ever since 1988.
The dense ruby/purple 2012 offers pure blackcurrant and black cherry fruit along with some notes of Christmas spices and earth. It is full-bodied and opulent, with light tannins in the finish. This is a beauty of impeccable balance, great purity and texture. Kudos to von Neipperg, who rarely ever seems to make a mistake.
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Canon la Gaffeliere delivers classic plum preserves, boysenberries and cigar box scents with wafts of underbrush, dried roses and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house with a solid line of grainy tannins and racy freshness supporting the dense fruit, finishing with compelling purity and great length.
Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Canon la Gaffeliere leaps from the glass with bold baked blackberries, plum preserves and blueberry compote notes with nuances of licorice, sweaty leather, tapenade and garrigue. It is quite mature and open in the medium-bodied mouth, with a firm, chewy frame and lively backbone, finishing with loads of savory/meaty layers.
Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière has a relatively opulent bouquet compared to the 2006 Les Grandes Murailles, with scents of cassis, cranberry, leather and roasted herbs, demonstrating a little more "guts" than its peers (as Canon-la-Gaffelière is wont to do). The palate is medium-bodied with furry tannin, quite plush in the mouth with tart red cherry fruit, strawberry, morels and a vein of tobacco towards the finish that carries commendable weight. This is drinking well after ten years and should provide another five years of drinking pleasure.
Made in a structured, tannic, restrained style (representative of the vintage’s overall personality), this medium to full-bodied 2001 exhibits scents of espresso roast, cedar, chocolate, black currants, and cherries. With sweet but noticeable tannin, exceptional multilayered flavors, and excellent texture, elegance as well as purity, it will be at its finest between 2005-2013.
Performing as I expected, but still several years away from full maturity, this extraordinarily flamboyant, full-bodied, opulent, sexy St. Emilion stood out for its backward structure and youthful personality. A dark plum/garnet hue is followed by a superb bouquet of roasted coffee, kirsch, blackberries, licorice, herbs, and forest floor. Full-bodied, dense, rich, and pure, it is a total hedonistic as well as intellectual turn-on. Enjoy it over the next decade.
A massive wine, with a cigar box, chocolatey, thick, black currant and cherry-scented nose, this full-bodied wine is crammed with layers of fruit, extract, glycerin, and alcohol. Spicy yet rich, with high tannin, the 1995 Canon-La-Gaffeliere will need a minimum of 5-6 years of cellaring. The finish is long and rich, and the tannin sweet rather than astringent.
