2009 Canon

What a gorgeous nose, with sweet and delicate fruits such as sliced plums that turn to milk chocolate and flowers. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, long finish. You want to drink this right away. 75 percent Merlot and 25 percent Cabernet Franc

Tasted at the château and the UGC, the Canon ’09 is a blend of 75% Merlot (picked 23rd to 28th September) and 25% Cabernet Franc (picked 2nd until 5th October) cropped at 35hl/ha and matured in 60% new oak, the crop reduced by 20% due to the hail. Delivering 14.5% alcohol and a pH3.7. The nose is fresh and lively, well defined with blackberry, briary, cedar, a touch of vanilla and an almost sorbet-like freshness. The palate is full-bodied with fine tannins, a powerful Canon, very well defined, a slight chalkiness coming towards the finish, a sharpness that lends freshness and vitality. A more masculine, structured Canon than I was expecting, but it will soften by the time of bottling. Excellent. Tasted March 2010.

A little paler than some. Lightish cherry red. Glossy, gamey, almost animal nose. Rich and sweet but with a certain dryness on the finish. There is some real life here. Very glamorous. Sumptuous and flattering, very polished, racy and sinewy and like a racehorse. Good enterprising energetic stuff!