- CRITICAL REVIEWS
- WINEMAKER NOTES
Jeb Dunnuck
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
2015 Chateau Canon Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France
LE 1ER GRAND CRU CLASSÉ
Canon’s wines reflect the huge rigour of the saint-emilion plateau. Freshness hones the huge voluptuousness. A pure, clean nectar that draws all of the minerality’s tension. A fine wine. The protruding power of the vine rooted in the rock.
PERSONNALITY
Château Canon offers a masterful, full, direct personality. The opulence of the fruit creates tension with the mineral freshness. A game of light and shadows between the quarries and the plateau. Reflecting the vineyard’s density of sunlight.
Indomitable fullness. A favourite. Ageing potential.
THE TENSION & MINERALITY OF THE PLATEAU
This refined, slender and vertical vintage owes its balance to the sophisticated structure from the limestone soils.
VINTAGE 2015
The wine displays an intense crimson red hue. It is fresh and elegant on the nose with aromas of red currant and raspberry evolving towards spicy notes. On the palate, the wine speaks of the terroir. It is precise, vibrant and delicate. The tannins are fine and silky. They show a magnificent unctuosity and a smooth, soft texture, demonstrating the maturity of the vintage. The wine’s beautiful length on the finish reveals the elegant character of this wine.
Winter: cold and dry
Spring: wet then sunny
Summer: very hot and dry
Autumn: mild with some showers
HARVEST TIME
Merlot: 14 to 25 september
Cabernet Franc: 30 september to 2 october
YIELD
42 hl / ha
AGEING
18 months with 70% new barrels
14,5 %
pH
3,78
CHÂTEAU CANON BLEND
72 % Merlot
28 % Cabernet Franc
CROIX CANON BLEND
80 % Merlot
20 % Cabernet Franc
34 hectares
SURFACE UNDER PRODUCTION
31.80 hectares, including 12 hectares dedicated to Croix Canon from 2011
SOIL
Clay-limestone plateau
EXPOSURE OF THE VINEYARD
South/Southwest
DENSITY OF PLANTATION
Between 6,500 and 7,200 plants/ha
AVERAGE AGE OF THE VINES
30 years
70 % Merlot
30 % Cabernet Franc
HARVEST
By hand and transported into small crates
SORTING
Manual selection
VINIFICATION
Separate vinification, by vatting using gravity, into conical shaped stainless steel vats with a double walled system for temperature control. Malolactic: 1/3 in new barrels and 2/3 in stainless steel vats.
In French oak barrel, with a medium or medium-long toasting. Racking via the bunghole.
Fining with egg whites, depending on the vintage.