Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere 2020
-
Dunnuck
Jeb - Vinous
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Very nice aromatic freshness for Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere 2020. The bouquet is delicate and complex, with floral, spicy and fruity notes. The palate if full of tension and minerality.
Blend: 55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Quite possibly the finest vintage of this cuvée I've tasted, the 2020 Château Canon-La-Gaffelière offers that rare mix of richness and elegance that makes this vintage so compelling. Classic notes of cassis, ripe black cherries, spring flowers, and truffly earth define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied and perfectly balanced, with beautiful tannins and a great finish. This is another stunningly good Saint-Emilion that will benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and have 2-3 decades of overall longevity.
-
Vinous
The 2020 Canon La Gaffelière is heady, sumptuous and totally exotic. A wine of depth and striking intensity, the 2020 possesses tremendous balance right out of the gate. Ripe red plum, blood orange, pomegranate, spice and leather all meld together effortlessly. There's real presence and depth here. Time in the glass brings out the purity of the flavors. The blend is 55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. I can't wait to see how it ages. –Antonio Galloni
-
James Suckling
Such clarity to this with redcurrants, stems, fresh herbs, blackcurrants, and cherries on the nose. Medium to full body. Very tight, fine tannins. It builds nicely and has excellent length. Class and reality here.
-
Wine Enthusiast
A richly structured wine, this shows great density. The blackberry flavors, layered with impressive tannins, are expressively ripe and promise considerable aging.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Wine Spectator
Ripe, fresh and expressive, with beautiful mulberry, boysenberry and blackberry puree notes that work well with light sanguine, black tea and singed apple wood details throughout. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2029 through 2040.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Canon la Gaffelière offers up inviting aromas of dark berries, plums, burning embers, rose petals, incense and bay leaf. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, it's suave and perfumed, with melting, powdery tannins and a vibrant core of fruit. As ever, the elevated percentage of Cabernet Franc lends it a singular and compelling style.
-
Decanter
Concentrated and intense, with juicy liquorice and blackberry flavours dominant on the attack. This is an excellent wine showing beautiful tension with slate and crushed stone texture. Chocolate shavings, bitter and intense, give a kick on the finish. Even better after 24 hours of opening, which is an extremely good sign for an en primeur sample. A yield of 32.5hl/ha. 50% new oak.
Barrel Sample: 94
Other Vintages
2022-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
- Vinous
- Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James - Vinous
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Guide
Connoisseurs'
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Guide
Connoisseurs'
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Located on the famous slope (and the foot of the slope) south of the medieval village of Saint-Emilion, Chateau Canon La Gaffelière has belonged to the Counts von Neipperg since 1971. Representing some eight centuries of family winegrowing tradition, Count Stephan von Neipperg has succeeded in placing Chateau Canon La Gaffelière among the top Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Emilion thanks to a winegrowing philosophy that gives priority not only to quality, but also respect for the environment.
Chateau Canon La Gaffelière is located on the outskirts of the medieval town of Saint-Emilion, at the southern foot of the slope. The 19.5 hectare (48 acres) vineyard has a complex, outstanding terroir of clay-limestone and clay-sand soil. The topsoil is primarily sandy, increasingly so as one moves away from the slope. The unusual proportion of grape varieties (55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) at Canon-La-Gaffelière is perfectly suited to the soil.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.