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Tasting notes
Despite the apparent difficulties of the vintage, Ch. Canon has retained its personality, with the elegance for which it has become so famous. The wine has beautiful exuberant soaring aromatics. On the palate the tannins are exceptionally fine and there is good mid-palate weight to the fruit, making it beautifully balanced. It is smooth and delicate with a lovely chalky, mineral finish. The textural quality to the wine really makes it stand out and shows how elegant Saint-Emilion can be in a lighter vintage. Highly recommended. 71% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Mid crimson. Lively, quite winning nose. Not concentrated but nicely balanced. Almost as though it’s not trying! But it’s going with the flow of the vintage. Just a little spiky in terms of acidity. Drying but long, clean finish. (JR)
71% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc. Lively dark crimson. Quite complex nose though obviously less ripe than the vintages before and after. Just a little stringy but not disastrously so. Lots to savour. (JR)
A much more elegant, finesse-driven wine compared to Berliquet (which comes from the same team and a neighboring vineyard), the 2021 Château Canon reveals a ruby/plum hue as well as beautiful aromatics of ripe red and black fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and sappy flowers. It's nicely concentrated, has ripe, polished tannins, and flawless overall balance, all while playing in the more mid-weight, elegant, focused style of the vintage. It will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age but drink nicely through 2041. The blend is 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc that saw one-third of the blend seeing malolactic fermentation in barrel and the élevage spanning 16-18 months in 50% new French oak. It hit 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.37. I was able to taste this on multiple occasions, always rating it between 93-95.
About the producer
Ch. Canon is one of the top estates in Saint-Emilion, classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé “B”. Positioned on the region’s limestone plateau, it produces one of the appellation’s most elegant wines.