2020 Croix Canon

The 2020 Croix Canon is a ridiculously great second wine. Bright and explosive, with tremendous depth, Croix Canon is outrageously beautiful. Mildew wiped out a good bit of the Merlot, so in 2020 Croix Canon has more Cabernet Franc than usual, and that adds so much character. The 2020 is phenomenal. That's all there is to it.

- Antonio Galloni (12/2022)

Blackberry, rose bush, and orange peel aromas follow through to a medium body, with silky tannins and a fresh finish. Attractive texture and linear focus to this. Very typical and high class. Try after 2026. (05/2023)

The second wine of Château Canon, the 2020 Château Canon Croix Canon is a beauty and is perfect for drinking while you wait on the Grand Vin. Deep purple-hued, with a great nose of ripe black cherries, lead pencil shavings, chalky earth, and tobacco, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, supple mouthfeel, and outstanding length. While it's drinking nicely today, it's not a simple quaffer, and I suspect it will keep for 15 years in cold cellars. (03/2023)

The deep garnet-purple colored 2020 Croix Canon is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. It skips out of the glass with bright, expressive notions of juicy black and red plums, boysenberry preserves, and Morello cherries, giving way to wafts of lavender, tapenade, and dusty soil. The full-bodied palate is coated with expressive black berry layers and a soft texture, finishing with a vibrant lift. (03/2023)

Shows lovely freshness, especially for the vintage, rippling with damson plum and bitter cherry notes laced with a bright savory sparkle. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2027.

- J.M.

The 2020 Croix Canon has turned out magnificently, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, dark berries, raw cocoa and crushed vitamin pills. Medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy, it's layered, seamless and suave, with a succulent core of fruit, sweet tannins and an impressively persistent finish. While it's approachable today, it's built to age with grace.

- William Kelley (12/2023)