Château Canon 2019

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

VertdeVin

The nose is elegant, precise, while restrained (in a good sense, in its elegant side) and offers power in control (and in finesse), intensity in finesse and a very nice racy grains. It reveals notes of bright Boysenberry, bright small blue fruits and more slightly graphite associated with touches of sweet spices, crushed strawberries, small pulpy fruits as well as hints of gray pepper, lilac, nutmeg as well as a subtle hint of sense of place, cypress, a discreet hint of tobacco and a subtle almost pink hint. The palate is fruity, balanced, elegant, racy, all finesse / precision and offers delicacy, harmony, depth, a little “airy creaminess”, a certain richness in finesse / mastery, a nice multi-layered side, a small pulpy fruit as well as complexity. Pretty finesse in its richness and elegance. On the palate this wine expresses notes of bright Boysenberry, bright raspberry and more slightly cornflower associated with touches of small crushed red currants, bright plum as well as hints of nutmeg, vanilla and a subtle hint of chocolate (in the background). Beautiful persistence with delicacy.

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

One of the few wines I was not able to taste in barrel, what's worth having is worth waiting for. This stunner presents an aromatic display combining crushed rocks, stones, flowers and red fruits. If that wasn't enough, the wine really kicks in on the palate with its freshness, concentration, energy, purity and length, which is the perfect backdrop for all the layers of refined, elegant, silky textured, red fruits along with that often, elusive sense of minerality on the palate and in the finish. Drink from 2034-2055.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2019 Canon has turned out brilliantly in bottle, wafting from the glass with complex aromas of raspberries and red plums mingled with notions of raw cocoa, dark chocolate, pencil shavings and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional, it's one of the most refined, elegant right bank wines of the vintage, with a deep core of fruit, beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. This is a superb achievement for Nicolas Audebert and his team.

In the last few years, this sleeping giant has well and truly reawakened, and the 2019 seems to me the finest Canon that Nicolas Audebert and his team have yet produced. Extensive replanting between 1996 and 2003, overseen by Audebert's predecessor, John Kolasa, saw some 50% of the estate's 22 hectares replaced. The fact that these vines are now arriving at full maturity surely goes some way to accounting for Canon's contemporary renaissance. Now, the team is working on restructuring the rest, combining massal selections and clones. Viticulture is thoughtful, with cover crops across the estate, and the terroir itself is relatively homogeneous: solid limestone covered by some 0.25-0.7 meters of clay, with a more or less uniform exposition on Saint-Émilion's plateau. There's also one small parcel in the town itself and another by Berliquet. Today, the vineyard is planted with about 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, and there are no plans to radically alter that. Winemaking privileges finesse over power, though a certain richness and texture can be taken for granted with a site like this, and maturation is in 50% new oak (mostly from Taransaud, Emptos, Sylvain and Quintessence).

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2019 Château Canon is another brilliant wine from this talented team that delivers everything you could want from this incredible terroir located on the upper limestone plateau. Based on 74% Merlot and 26% Cabernet Franc, it has a pure, incredibly refined, yet still powerful profile that takes time to unwind. Offering up beautiful notes of black raspberries, wild strawberries, spring flowers, chalky minerality, and graphite, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a finish that's something to behold. This isn't the massive style of the 2015 and reminds me slightly of the 2016. It's perfectly balanced and, again, the purity and finesse are off the charts. It needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years and enjoyed over the following 2-3 decades. Hats off to Nicolas Audebert for another sensational wine.

James Suckling

Blackberries, blueberries and dark chocolate with bark, mushrooms and chalk. Lavender, too. Full-bodied with firm tannins that are polished and velvety. White pepper, gesso and crushed stone. It’s full-bodied and layered with tightness and focus and a long finish. It’s solid and stalwart, as usual. Reminds me of the very special 1955. One for the cellar. Give this until 2026 to see what it really has.