Canon 2021

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé B

Units	Size	Case size	GBP Price:	Quantities	Buy
42	75cl Bottle	Case 6	£540 per Case	Cases	[Add to shopping basket]

Tasting Notes
71% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Reserved at present. Floral notes as the wine opens. Texturally very elegant, the tannins extremely polished and fine. Compact, concise. Less wow this year but clean and refreshing and enough fruit for ageing. (JL) Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2028-2040 13 May 2022
The 2021 Canon was picked September 16 to October 6 and matured in 50% new oak for a planned 16–18 months. Around 70% of the vineyard produced the normal yield, which underwent a 50% deselection, yet it still yielded 40hL/ha because the vines did not suffer stress. After mildew, any bunches that showed damage on the stems were removed. Nicolas Audebert told me that there was no concentration or saignée, just a little chaptalization (around 0.5–1.0%, depending on the tank). This has quite a concentrated bouquet of opulent dark cherries, blueberry, violet and just a hint of camphor. The palate is medium-bodied and pliant, with gentle grip, saturated tannins and a judicious touch of spice toward the compact finish. While recent top-flight vintages may well eclipse this Canon, it still stands as a fine addition to the recent roster. Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2060 01 May 2022
Dramatic, rich and imposing, the 2021 Canon is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Sculpted red purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, sage and crushed rocks all race out of the glass. A heady, vertical wine, Canon is endowed with tremendous concentration and class. The aromatics alone are beguiling, but it is the wine's balance that impresses most. Tasted three times. This is such an elegant and regal wine. Score: 95 - 97 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2031-2061 01 May 2022
A wine full of finesse and class with fantastic length and polish. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that run endlessly down the length of the wine. Blackberry, graphite and spice. Agile and weightless. Score: 96 - 97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 01 May 2022
A brilliant wine in the making, the 2021 Canon offers up aromas of cherries, wild berries, licorice, sweet soil tones, raw cocoa, Indian spices and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's immensely refined and seamless, with a lively spine of acidity, ripe tannins and a long, penetrating, intensely saline finish. This beautifully balanced Canon is one of the classiest, most complete wines of the Right Bank in this vintage. Tasted four times. Score: 94 - 96 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 29 April 2022
Gorgeous bright plum colour with violet reflections. The epitome of careful, precise, well-spliced winemaking. Sibling estate Berliquet has perhaps more immediate charm, because there is more power running through it, but this is just elegance and finesse personified. Red cherry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, slate, saffron, oyster shell, they have teased out layers of complexity that were not easy to find in the vintage, and there is length also, with pummice stone salinity scraping across the palate. It's subtle, and it's not at the heights of a 2019 Canon, but this will not be out of place in a vertical of the estate. Tasted twice. 50% new oak, 40hl/h yield, harvest September 16 to October 8. Thomas Duclos consultant. Score: 96 Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com 07 April 2022
From a château you can't go wrong with, the 2021 Château Canon is another head-turning, elegant, seamless wine that comes from unquestionably one of the greatest terroirs on the upper plateau of Saint-Emilion. Based on 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc that hit 13.55% alcohol, it will spend 18 months in 50% new barrels. It shows the vintage's fresher, elegant style beautifully, with lots of perfumed red fruits, spice, flowers, and chalky notes. These carry to a medium-bodied, seamless, elegant Saint-Emilion that has supple tannins, a notable sense of freshness (although I suspect the pH is solid), and a great finish. Score: 93 - 95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 06 February 2022

Tasting Notes

71% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample. Reserved at present. Floral notes as the wine opens. Texturally very elegant, the tannins extremely polished and fine. Compact, concise. Less wow this year but clean and refreshing and enough fruit for ageing. (JL)

Score: 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2028-2040 13 May 2022

The 2021 Canon was picked September 16 to October 6 and matured in 50% new oak for a planned 16–18 months. Around 70% of the vineyard produced the normal yield, which underwent a 50% deselection, yet it still yielded 40hL/ha because the vines did not suffer stress. After mildew, any bunches that showed damage on the stems were removed. Nicolas Audebert told me that there was no concentration or saignée, just a little chaptalization (around 0.5–1.0%, depending on the tank). This has quite a concentrated bouquet of opulent dark cherries, blueberry, violet and just a hint of camphor. The palate is medium-bodied and pliant, with gentle grip, saturated tannins and a judicious touch of spice toward the compact finish. While recent top-flight vintages may well eclipse this Canon, it still stands as a fine addition to the recent roster.

Score: 92 - 94

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2060 01 May 2022

Dramatic, rich and imposing, the 2021 Canon is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. Sculpted red purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, sage and crushed rocks all race out of the glass. A heady, vertical wine, Canon is endowed with tremendous concentration and class. The aromatics alone are beguiling, but it is the wine's balance that impresses most. Tasted three times. This is such an elegant and regal wine.

Score: 95 - 97

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2031-2061 01 May 2022

A wine full of finesse and class with fantastic length and polish. Medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins that run endlessly down the length of the wine. Blackberry, graphite and spice. Agile and weightless.

Score: 96 - 97

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 01 May 2022

A brilliant wine in the making, the 2021 Canon offers up aromas of cherries, wild berries, licorice, sweet soil tones, raw cocoa, Indian spices and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's immensely refined and seamless, with a lively spine of acidity, ripe tannins and a long, penetrating, intensely saline finish. This beautifully balanced Canon is one of the classiest, most complete wines of the Right Bank in this vintage. Tasted four times.

Score: 94 - 96

William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 29 April 2022

Gorgeous bright plum colour with violet reflections. The epitome of careful, precise, well-spliced winemaking. Sibling estate Berliquet has perhaps more immediate charm, because there is more power running through it, but this is just elegance and finesse personified. Red cherry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, slate, saffron, oyster shell, they have teased out layers of complexity that were not easy to find in the vintage, and there is length also, with pummice stone salinity scraping across the palate. It's subtle, and it's not at the heights of a 2019 Canon, but this will not be out of place in a vertical of the estate. Tasted twice. 50% new oak, 40hl/h yield, harvest September 16 to October 8. Thomas Duclos consultant.

Score: 96

Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com 07 April 2022

From a château you can't go wrong with, the 2021 Château Canon is another head-turning, elegant, seamless wine that comes from unquestionably one of the greatest terroirs on the upper plateau of Saint-Emilion. Based on 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc that hit 13.55% alcohol, it will spend 18 months in 50% new barrels. It shows the vintage's fresher, elegant style beautifully, with lots of perfumed red fruits, spice, flowers, and chalky notes. These carry to a medium-bodied, seamless, elegant Saint-Emilion that has supple tannins, a notable sense of freshness (although I suspect the pH is solid), and a great finish.

Score: 93 - 95

Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com 06 February 2022

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