2021 Château Canon

The 2021 Canon shows just how magical this site is. Vertical and explosive in feel, with tons of pure power, it impresses with its intensity, drive and super-classic profile. Bright saline notes and vibrant tannins give the 2021 a feeling of energy that only gains momentum with time in the glass. It's not an easy Canon, like the 2015 or 2018, but it is incredibly expressive. It is the sort of wine that only truly emerges with time in bottle. I would be thrilled to own it. Canon must surely be one of the great relative values in first-class wine. Wow. Tasted two times.

- Antonio Galloni (12/2023)

A much more elegant, finesse-driven wine compared to Berliquet (which comes from the same team and a neighboring vineyard), the 2021 Château Canon reveals a ruby/plum hue as well as beautiful aromatics of ripe red and black fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and sappy flowers. It's nicely concentrated, has ripe, polished tannins, and flawless overall balance, all while playing in the more mid-weight, elegant, focused style of the vintage. It will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age but drink nicely through 2041. The blend is 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc that saw one-third of the blend seeing malolactic fermentation in barrel and the élevage spanning 16-18 months in 50% new French oak. It hit 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.37. I was able to taste this on multiple occasions, always rating it between 93-95. (04/2024)

The 2021 Canon is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little coaxing, expressive notes of kirsch, fresh blackberries, and juicy plums emerge confidently from the glass, followed by suggestions of licorice, sandalwood, and fragrant earth. The medium-bodied palate has tightly wound layers of bright, energetic black and red fruits, framed by firm, yet rounded, tannins and great tension, finishing with wonderful length and depth. (04/2024)

The 2021 Canon opens in the glass with a pure bouquet of raspberries, cherries and plums mingled with pretty top notes of iris, licorice, mint and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's fleshy and sensual, with a deep and seamless core of fruit framed by ultra-refined tannins, a bright spine of acidity and a long, mineral finish. With an impressively low finished pH of 3.37, it was taken out of barrel a month earlier than usual and saw no fining—as has been the case since 2010.

- William Kelley (02/2024)