In Bond Fine Wine. 2022 Château Canon, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France. Premier Grand Cru Classé B • Red Bordeaux in 6x75cl. Top critic score: 100/100 (WK). Drinking window: 2030–2065. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Chateau Canon is a leading estate in Saint Emilion, admired for its precision, elegance, and steady rise in quality over the past two decades. Located on the limestone plateau just outside the town walls, the Canon is a great terroir of deep clay over limestone, which imparts freshness, minerality, and structure to the wines. The 34-hectare vineyard is planted predominantly to Merlot (around 70%), with the remainder Cabernet Franc. Under the ownership of Chanel since 1996, and with the leadership of Nicolas Audebert since 2014, Canon has undergone a quiet transformation, focusing on meticulous vineyard work, plot-by-plot vinification, and subtle winemaking. The result has been a consistent run of high-quality vintages that have drawn comparisons with the very top of the appellation. Often one of the earliest properties to begin harvesting, Canon is noted for its graceful, pure-fruited style, with fine tannins and a limestone-driven lift that gives the wines both approachability and excellent ageing potential. Its reputation has soared in recent years, with strong demand from collectors and drinkers alike, Canon is also widely regarded as offering some of the best value for money among Saint Emilion’s top tier.
Antonio Galloni (AG) — 99/100 · Vinous, 28/01/2025 · Drink 2030-2072
The 2022 Canon is a regal wine of total sophistication and class'aromatic, light on its feet and super-expressive. Crushed flowers, chalk, mint, dried herbs, incense and blood orange all race across the palate. Clean saline-inflected notes extend the mid-palate and finish effortlessly. Even with all of the heat and drought of the year, Canon retains its essential, highly refined personality.
Jeb Dunnuck (JD) — 100/100 · JebDunnuck.com, 27/02/2025 · Drink 2025 - 2055
Ripe black cherries, graphite, crushed stone, and a beautiful floral character all define the 2022 Chateau Canon, another brilliantly pure and seamless wine from this team. Based on 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, it was raised in 50% new French oak, with a small percentage in foudre. Medium to full-bodied, it's focused and precise on the palate, with ripe, polished tannins, integrated acidity…
Vinous (Vin) — 97/100 · Vinous, 16/01/2026 · Drink 2030-2065
Neal Martin, January 2026 The 2022 Canon has a more floral bouquet, with violet and wilted rose petal infusing the red fruit, well defined, with an underlying mineralité manifesting with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, brisk and focused, sapid with a tingle of allspice towards the sustained and animated finish. Great potential and unequivocally one of the greatest vintage…