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Canon 2018

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé B

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Tasting Notes
Blackberries and tar with wet-earth and dark-bark aromas. Dark-chocolate and brownie notes, too. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins and a round, caressing finish. Lovely focus and intensity, though dense and layered. Extremely creamy and polished. Really precise and bespoke. It already opens beautifully on the palate. Drink after 2025. Score: 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2025+ 03 February 2022
This is a dense and focused Canon with beautiful blackberry, almond and hazelnut character. Vivid and lifted. It’s compact and complete with tannins that melt into the center palate and then build at the end. Full-bodied yet reserved and driven. A superb and focused wine. Classy all the way. New 1955? Score: 98 - 99 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 11 April 2019
The fruit here is still crunchy and vibrant at three years old, blueberry, black cherry, smoked almonds and saffron. Clear density from beginning to end of the palate, with a rich full texture. Tannins are poised and confident, softening and adding to a creamy texture after 10 minutes in the glass. Bound to keep powering on for decades, needs another three or four years before starting to approach. 42hl/h, 52% new oak, 3.69ph, harvest September 7 to October 5. Thomas Duclos consults. Score: 98 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2024-2050 17 September 2021
A beautiful Canon that performs the 360-degree trick in your mouth of expanding up, down and out. Of course a little austere right now at this young age, but already walking the tightrope towards richness; the creaminess in the texture becomes clear after 20 minutes in the glass. This has salinity, purity, precision and grip, showing its distinct personality and its ability to draw juice and mouthwatering expression from the fruits. Score: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2026-2048 10 November 2020
Pretty closed up right now, this is full of latent energy. It's extremely powerful and precise, with poise and tension but also with generosity and density, yet it errs on the side of not giving much away rather than giving too much. You have to give it time in the glass for those cool blueberry, bilberry and tightly spiced notes to come to the fore. The stunning texture is clear but the aromatics take their time. This is a wine that carries its finesse with great skill, and they have done a brilliant job of allowing this aspect to shine amongst the heat of the vintage, allowing the density to inch deeper with every minute in the glass. This wine just gets better and better, Harvest ran from 7 September to 9 October, the longest ever here, with no pressure of rot. 42hl/ha yield. Thomas Duclos consults. Score: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2027-2043 15 April 2019
The 2018 Canon is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel. Maybe more so. Vertical and explosive in the glass, Canon sizzles with tension and vibrancy. Readers will find a majestic, soaring Grand Cru Classé that captures all the magic of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau. Canon exudes mind-blowing precision and deliciousness. It is another magnificent effort from Technical Director Nicolas Audebert and his team. Score: 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2068 26 August 2021
The 2018 Canon is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel. Maybe more so. Vertical and explosive in the glass, Canon sizzles with tension and vibrancy. Readers will find a majestic, soaring Grand Cru Classé that captures all the magic of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau. Canon exudes mind-blowing precision and deliciousness. It is another magnificent effort from Technical Director Nicolas Audebert and his team. Score: 98 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2068 01 March 2021
The 2018 Canon bristles with energy, tension and explosive, vertical lift. Dark, powerful and full of personality, Canon is magnificent in 2018. Time in the glass brings out a range of dark fruit, mineral, floral and saline notes, but readers will have to be patient in order to enjoy the 2018 at its fullest splendor. Most importantly, I am blown away by how much precision and persistence there is given the wine's concentration and overall richness. The 2018 Canon is magnificent. That's pretty much all there is to it. The blend is 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon. Technical Director Nicolas Audebert added that he and his team left more leaf cover to protect the fruit from the extreme heat and dryness of the summer. Once in the cellar, extractions were done as gently as possible, Audebert explained. Tasted four times. Score: 94 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2019
The Grand Vin is the 2018 Château Canon, which is based on 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc brought up in 52% new French oak. Its incredible bouquet delivers richness paired with amazing freshness and precision, offering loads of crème de cassis and darker berry fruits intermixed with classic Saint-Emilion chalky minerality, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers. Gorgeous on the palate as well, with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and again, this wonderful sense of freshness paired with ample richness, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. The 2009 and 2015 are still my favorite vintages of this wine, but this is up there with the best of them. Score: 98 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2025 - 2055 18 July 2021
Reminding me of a slightly fresher, more focused version of the 2009, the 2018 Château Canon boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as awesome minerality in its smoked red and black fruits, graphite, cocoa, scorched earth, and spice box driven aromas and flavors. Deep, full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and structured, this is a powerful Canon that’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for decades. The 2018 is a blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc that hit 14% natural alcohol (the pH is 3.66) and is still aging in 52% new French oak. Tasted twice. Score: 96 - 98 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 01 May 2019
A blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Canon has a pH of 3.69 and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles effortlessly out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of candied violets, preserved plums, black cherry compote and Ceylon tea with hints of kirsch, powdered cinnamon, chocolate box and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with juicy black fruit layers, supported by plush, oh-so-soft tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Score: 97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025 - 2052 11 July 2021
The 2018 Canon is blended of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.69 and 14% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it comes sashaying out of the glass with glamorous notes of cinnamon stick, baked blackberries, black cherry compote and licorice plus an undercurrent of plum preserves and smoked meats and, with coaxing, reveals a lovely floral signature of candied violets and red roses. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully soft-spoken, whispering of fragrant floral and earthy scents beneath a core of profound, mouth-coating black and blue fruits, draped in a high level of super ripe, plush tannins, finishing with amazing freshness and perfume with loads of mineral sparks emerging. Score: 97 - 99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 23 April 2019
The 2018 Canon was picked starting on September 7 and finishing on October 9. Given a two-hour decant, it reveals a surprisingly precocious bouquet, more exuberant than I recall from barrel, offering predominantly black fruit, though the floral element is now amplified and masks the crushed limestone I observed previously (for how long?) The palate delivers multilayered black cherry and blueberry fruit, wrapped up in supple tannins and such a cashmere texture that it feels deceptively approachable when in truth, it has the substance and persistence to merit long-term aging. I wagered that it is the best Canon since the watershed 2015. Don’t expect me to alter that view. Score: 96 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2055 21 March 2021
The 2018 Canon was picked from 7 September and finished 9 October. It has an immediate bouquet with intense black fruit, crushed limestone, pressed iris flower and a soupçon of crème de cassis. It retains the freshness and delineation one seeks from this Saint-Émilion. The palate is beautifully textured on the entry: velvety tannin, fine acidity, a wine that evokes that oft used "iron fist in a velvet glove" phrase. It fans out wonderfully on the finish. This is a deeply impressive Canon that might be the best since the 2015. Brilliant. Score: 95 - 97 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2055 01 November 2019
Features a gorgeous core of plum and black currant fruit, deeply inlaid with tobacco notes and chalky minerality. Everything melds wonderfully through the finish, which is refined in feel. Score: 96 - 99 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 28 March 2019

Tasting Notes

Blackberries and tar with wet-earth and dark-bark aromas. Dark-chocolate and brownie notes, too. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins and a round, caressing finish. Lovely focus and intensity, though dense and layered. Extremely creamy and polished. Really precise and bespoke. It already opens beautifully on the palate. Drink after 2025.

Score: 98

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2025+ 03 February 2022

This is a dense and focused Canon with beautiful blackberry, almond and hazelnut character. Vivid and lifted. It’s compact and complete with tannins that melt into the center palate and then build at the end. Full-bodied yet reserved and driven. A superb and focused wine. Classy all the way. New 1955?

Score: 98 - 99

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 11 April 2019

The fruit here is still crunchy and vibrant at three years old, blueberry, black cherry, smoked almonds and saffron. Clear density from beginning to end of the palate, with a rich full texture. Tannins are poised and confident, softening and adding to a creamy texture after 10 minutes in the glass. Bound to keep powering on for decades, needs another three or four years before starting to approach. 42hl/h, 52% new oak, 3.69ph, harvest September 7 to October 5. Thomas Duclos consults.

Score: 98

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2024-2050 17 September 2021

A beautiful Canon that performs the 360-degree trick in your mouth of expanding up, down and out. Of course a little austere right now at this young age, but already walking the tightrope towards richness; the creaminess in the texture becomes clear after 20 minutes in the glass. This has salinity, purity, precision and grip, showing its distinct personality and its ability to draw juice and mouthwatering expression from the fruits.

Score: 98

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2026-2048 10 November 2020

Pretty closed up right now, this is full of latent energy. It's extremely powerful and precise, with poise and tension but also with generosity and density, yet it errs on the side of not giving much away rather than giving too much. You have to give it time in the glass for those cool blueberry, bilberry and tightly spiced notes to come to the fore. The stunning texture is clear but the aromatics take their time. This is a wine that carries its finesse with great skill, and they have done a brilliant job of allowing this aspect to shine amongst the heat of the vintage, allowing the density to inch deeper with every minute in the glass. This wine just gets better and better, Harvest ran from 7 September to 9 October, the longest ever here, with no pressure of rot. 42hl/ha yield. Thomas Duclos consults.

Score: 97

Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2027-2043 15 April 2019

The 2018 Canon is every bit as magnificent from bottle as it was from barrel. Maybe more so. Vertical and explosive in the glass, Canon sizzles with tension and vibrancy. Readers will find a majestic, soaring Grand Cru Classé that captures all the magic of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau. Canon exudes mind-blowing precision and deliciousness. It is another magnificent effort from Technical Director Nicolas Audebert and his team.

Score: 98

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2028 - 2068 26 August 2021

Score: 98

Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2068 01 March 2021

The 2018 Canon bristles with energy, tension and explosive, vertical lift. Dark, powerful and full of personality, Canon is magnificent in 2018. Time in the glass brings out a range of dark fruit, mineral, floral and saline notes, but readers will have to be patient in order to enjoy the 2018 at its fullest splendor. Most importantly, I am blown away by how much precision and persistence there is given the wine's concentration and overall richness. The 2018 Canon is magnificent. That's pretty much all there is to it. The blend is 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon. Technical Director Nicolas Audebert added that he and his team left more leaf cover to protect the fruit from the extreme heat and dryness of the summer. Once in the cellar, extractions were done as gently as possible, Audebert explained. Tasted four times.

Score: 94 - 97

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2019

The Grand Vin is the 2018 Château Canon, which is based on 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc brought up in 52% new French oak. Its incredible bouquet delivers richness paired with amazing freshness and precision, offering loads of crème de cassis and darker berry fruits intermixed with classic Saint-Emilion chalky minerality, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers. Gorgeous on the palate as well, with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and again, this wonderful sense of freshness paired with ample richness, it needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30+ years. The 2009 and 2015 are still my favorite vintages of this wine, but this is up there with the best of them.

Score: 98

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2025 - 2055 18 July 2021

Reminding me of a slightly fresher, more focused version of the 2009, the 2018 Château Canon boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as awesome minerality in its smoked red and black fruits, graphite, cocoa, scorched earth, and spice box driven aromas and flavors. Deep, full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and structured, this is a powerful Canon that’s going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for decades. The 2018 is a blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc that hit 14% natural alcohol (the pH is 3.66) and is still aging in 52% new French oak. Tasted twice.

Score: 96 - 98

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 01 May 2019

A blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Canon has a pH of 3.69 and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles effortlessly out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of candied violets, preserved plums, black cherry compote and Ceylon tea with hints of kirsch, powdered cinnamon, chocolate box and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with juicy black fruit layers, supported by plush, oh-so-soft tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

Score: 97

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025 - 2052 11 July 2021

The 2018 Canon is blended of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.69 and 14% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it comes sashaying out of the glass with glamorous notes of cinnamon stick, baked blackberries, black cherry compote and licorice plus an undercurrent of plum preserves and smoked meats and, with coaxing, reveals a lovely floral signature of candied violets and red roses. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully soft-spoken, whispering of fragrant floral and earthy scents beneath a core of profound, mouth-coating black and blue fruits, draped in a high level of super ripe, plush tannins, finishing with amazing freshness and perfume with loads of mineral sparks emerging.

Score: 97 - 99

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 23 April 2019

The 2018 Canon was picked starting on September 7 and finishing on October 9. Given a two-hour decant, it reveals a surprisingly precocious bouquet, more exuberant than I recall from barrel, offering predominantly black fruit, though the floral element is now amplified and masks the crushed limestone I observed previously (for how long?) The palate delivers multilayered black cherry and blueberry fruit, wrapped up in supple tannins and such a cashmere texture that it feels deceptively approachable when in truth, it has the substance and persistence to merit long-term aging. I wagered that it is the best Canon since the watershed 2015. Don’t expect me to alter that view.

Score: 96

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2055 21 March 2021

The 2018 Canon was picked from 7 September and finished 9 October. It has an immediate bouquet with intense black fruit, crushed limestone, pressed iris flower and a soupçon of crème de cassis. It retains the freshness and delineation one seeks from this Saint-Émilion. The palate is beautifully textured on the entry: velvety tannin, fine acidity, a wine that evokes that oft used "iron fist in a velvet glove" phrase. It fans out wonderfully on the finish. This is a deeply impressive Canon that might be the best since the 2015. Brilliant.

Score: 95 - 97

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2024-2055 01 November 2019

Features a gorgeous core of plum and black currant fruit, deeply inlaid with tobacco notes and chalky minerality. Everything melds wonderfully through the finish, which is refined in feel.

Score: 96 - 99

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 28 March 2019

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