CHATEAU CANON 1er Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion 2023 Bottle

Description

Château Canon 2023 is a refined expression of the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau. A blend of predominantly Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this vintage showcases the estate’s hallmark elegance and precision. The 2023 growing season allowed for a slow ripening process, resulting in a wine with remarkable freshness and aromatic clarity.

On the nose, it offers scents of red cherries, violets, and crushed stones. The palate is defined by silky tannins and a vibrant acidity that provides excellent lift and energy. While approachable in its youth, its structured backbone ensures significant ageing potential. This vintage continues Canon’s reputation for producing wines of poise and terroir transparency, making it a standout selection from the Right Bank.

JAMES SUCKLING 99-100 Points
11 Apr, 2024 – This is so elegant and sophisticated already, with a really electric presence and length that goes on and on. It's medium- to full-bodied with an intensity of tannins. It remains weightless and energetic. The pH is 3.41, making this a vivid and lively wine. Currant, orange and stone. Sea salt, too. The limestone soils created a unique wine here in 2023. A blend of 71% merlot and 29% cabernet franc.

DECANTER 98 points
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle (at Bordeaux, 15 Apr 2024) Part of Best St-Emilion 2023 wines tasted en primeur
Drinking Window: 2030 - 2050
Another excellent wine from the team at Canon benefitting from its position on the limestone plateau. Deep florals, violets, black fruits, some purple fruits too with cocoa powder and cool fresh blueberries. Smooth and so refined, this has a comfort in the mouth that few others have - a certain weight that defies the vintage - almost fleshy but more thick juice rather than lean, with a sweet core as well as biting acidity that provides a great contrast. This is a serious wine, it has structure and movement, supple tannins, so fine with a touch of chalk, strawberry, cranberry and red cherry fruit with liquorice spice on the finish. Assured winemaking, ripe fruit, great acidity and body, ending clean and pure with wet stones and graphite touches. Just delicious, a wine that tastes great now and feels like it’ll always be that way. Expansive in the best way. Ageing 16-18 months in 50% new oak as well as foudre. 3.42pH.

THE WINE ADVOCATE (96-98) points
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Wafting from the glass with aromas of mulberries and raspberries mingled with spices, rose petals, licorice and violets, the 2023 Canon is another brilliant wine from a property whose excellence can almost be taken for granted. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's seamless and concentrated, its vibrant core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins and girdled by lively acids, concluding with a long, mineral finish.