Chateau Canon 2021

JAMES SUCKLING: "Lots of crunchy red cherries and blue plums followed by violets, fresh sage and Christmas spices with baking spice and coconuts. Medium- to full-bodied with superb fine-grained racy tannins and beautifully refreshing acidity that gives an edge to it. Gorgeous finesse and elegance with harmony and precision. Delightful, too. Already drinkable but give this a few more years to come around. Try after 2026 and it should be beautiful for a long time."

WEINWISSER: "Der Canon ist erwartungsgemäß auch nach der Füllung einer der feinsten und differenziertesten Weine des Jahrgangs 2021 aus Saint-Émilion. Dunkler Farbkern, sehr viskos. Er verfügt über eine feine, zarte Nase mit großer Intensität im Hintergrund. Sehr guter Auftakt im Mund mit viel Fleisch und Rasse, sehr lang, engmaschig und komplex. Druckvoller Canon mit viel Kalkstein- Terroir und grandioser Finesse. Wie so typisch für Canon, wirkt er in diesem jugendlichen Stadium noch etwas verschlossen. Seine Frische und große Energie lassen jedoch einiges erwarten. 13.5 Vol.-%."

DECANTER: "Gorgeous fragrance, pretty and pure. Juicy and clean, this has such a lovely energy and focus to it – lifted, bright but not searing, juicy but not too acidic, weighty but still streamlined and direct. I love the fine tannins, still with some tension, and a soft, sality liquorice outline. Feels elegant and finessed, polished and stylish with lift and movement."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "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."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Talk about on top of their game, even in the difficult 2021 vintage, Canon managed to produce one of the wines of the vintage! The perfume pops with little effort as you already find its bouquet of violets, spearmint, cigar wrappers, black cherries, plums, licorice and cocoa. And the palate is even better with its edgy freshness, sweet, red berries, plums and red plums, fresh cherries, herbs, and a touch of fennel along with salty accents in the elegant mid-palate and finish. The wine blends 71% Merlot with 29% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2026-2055."

JEB DUNNUCK: "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."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine rote Waldbeerenfrucht, florale Nuancen, ein Hauch von Preiselbeeren, zarte Edelholznuancen, einladender Duft. Saftig, frisch strukturiert, feine Tannine, finessenreich und gut anhaftend, zarte Fruchtsüße im Abgang, ein lebendiger Speisenbegleiter, insgesamt harmonisch und sehr appetitlich."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Mid-deep ruby. Poached plums and fresh red cherries come together with a hint of incense and dark chocolate. A complex, developing texture on the palate starts smoothly and builds with persistent yet fine-grained, powdery tannins. The fruit grows with the structure, always cool and ethereal. A fine effort for the vintage; measured, linear and deep."

WINE SPECTATOR: " Fresh and open in feel, with loganberry and blackberry notes laced with mulling spice, black tea and savory hints. Concludes with a potpourri echo. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2035."