Château Canon

5/15/2017 Le Figaro - L LE FIGARO - L'AVIS DU VIN (CLUB VIN) : 17 / 20 Nez de petites ronces, prunes noires, fruits noirs, vanillé. Bouche ample, griotte, pointe végétale, tannins ronds. 5/10/2017 Wein Wisser WEIN WISSER (RENÉ GABRIEL) : 18 / 20 5/3/2017 Bettane & Desseauve BETTANE & DESSEAUVE ( BETTANE & DESSEAUVE) : 96 / 100 Dans la lignée du mythique 1955, avec un grain calcaire vêtu de satin parfaitement bien étiré et une finale saline et aérienne du meilleur effet. On est dans le tannin bien infusé. 5/2/2017 Martin WINE ADVOCATE (NEAL MARTIN) : 97-99 / 100 The 2016 Canon makes it a double slam-dunk for head winemaker Nicolas Audebert and his team, as it is the second of two ethereal wines that will put the estate right at the top of the Saint Emilion tree. This year is a blend of 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc picked from 22 September until 10 October at 45 hectoliters per hectare. It delivers 14.02% alcohol and an IPT of 65. Matured in 65% new oak, it has a compelling bouquet with intense black cherry and blueberry fruit, a tincture of oyster shell, all with exquisite definition. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin, and again, there is stunning, almost ineffable precision. It is attired in a seamless texture with real density yet weightlessness on the finish. The persistence on the aftertaste is extraordinary. I composed this entire tasting note after spitting out the wine, but I can still feel my mouth tingling now. The 2015 was magnificent, but could this 2016 surpass that? "The 2016 is more Canon in style, more classic," commented Nicolas, and he could be right, although intuition tells me that the 2015 might be a hair's breadth better. I would not refuse either if they were opened before me. 4/28/2017 Quarin JEAN-MARC QUARIN (JEAN-MARC QUARIN) : 20 / 20 Le meilleur jamais fait ! Couleur intense, belle et profonde. Nez intense, particulièrement fruité, pur, noble, légèrement fumé, crémeux, puissant et profond. Bouche si grasse, si complexe, si parfumée, si noble au toucher, si profonde en finale, si persistante, si incrachable. Forte note plaisir. Fabuleux ! Alcool : 14° versus 15° pour le 2015. pH : 3,6 dans la moyenne. IPT : 65 dans la moyenne haute. Assemblage : 76 % merlot, 24 % cabernet franc. Rendement : 45 hl/ha. 4/26/2017 Vinous VINOUS (ANTONIO GALLONI) : 91-94 / 100 The 2016 Canon is a wine of pure sophistication and polish. A rush of red cherry, plum, mint, rose petal and blood orange gives the 2016 its sexy, racy personality. Underlying veins of minerality and salinity provide finesse and persistence. In 2016, Canon is pure class. It doesn't reach the stratospheric level of the 2015, but that is too much to ask in a vintage that presented significant challenges in the vineyard. Tasted four times. 4/25/2017 Jukes MATTHEWJUKES.COM (MATTHEW JUKES) : 18 / 20 A fairly quiet Canon with controlled fruit and a long finish, this is a well-made wine with a lovely texture and no excesses of fat or tannin and it is surprisingly forward, too. The oak is well-judged and it perfectly matches the mood of the red fruit. | 18+ 4/24/2017 Decanter.com DECANTER.COM (JANE ANSON) : 98 / 100 This vintage delivers a beautiful, classic style of Canon that is right at the top of what St-Émilion can offer. Compact and dense without being hard, it is finely structured both in terms of the texture of the cassis and blackberry fruits and in the shape of the tannins. It demonstrates a clear minerality and a feather-brushing of violet notes. This is less obviously sexy than 2015, but is a wine that offers a masterclass in what limestone terroir can convey - salinity, succulence, hints of austerity and reserves of power. I retasted it a few times, and the main take away of what to expect is layers of flavour and huge persistency. The details of how they worked the vintage are an added bonus to understanding how they achieved this result. When it started getting hot and dry, they left all green cover on the vines, and did no green harvesting except tidying up in September. The result was loading the vines to avoid over-concentration. 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, with the final blend aged in 70% new oak. 3.6pH. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050 4/21/2017 Robinson JANCIS ROBINSON (JANCIS ROBINSON) : 18,5 / 20 Lively dark crimson. Very smart and complex on the nose - distinctively different. Really focused and rich but not sweet. Real lift and drive. So complete! Opulent on the nose but nothing remotely simple and sweet. Throbs with excitement. 4/19/2017 Wine Enthusiast WINE ENTHUSIAST (ROGER VOSS) : 96-98 / 100 Barrel Sample. A powerful, concentrated and superripe wine, this is major. The wine's juicy black-plum fruit balances its dark tannins and density. You can sense the impressive future for this structured wine. 4/10/2017 Wine Spectator WINE SPECTATOR (JAMES MOLESWORTH) : 95-98 / 100 Vivacious and integrated already, with plum, raspberry and cassis notes matched by a bright floral hint and a flash of rooibos tea. Refined minerality through the finish. Ample depth, but it is defined by its purity and drive.—J.M. 4/5/2017 Jamessuckling.com JAMESSUCKLING.COM (JAMES SUCKLING) : 96-97 / 100 Very intense aromas already of pure berry, mineral and spice. Full body yet refined and tight with gorgeous linear and refined character. Beautiful and classic beauty.