Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere 2015

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Composed of 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in French oak, 55% new, for 17 months, the 2015 Canon la Gaffeliere features a deep garnet-purple color and a cedar-laced nose to begin, giving way to fragrant underlying scents of roses and violets with a core of crushed black currants, blackberries and Bing cherries plus hints of fallen leaves and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, the seductively perfumed red and black fruit fills the mouth, framed with plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing very long and minerally."

WEINWISSER: "55 % Merlot, 38 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 % Cabernet Franc. 39 hl/ha. Sattes Purpur-Granat. Es ist vielleicht doof, zu schreiben, dass ein Wein in erster Linie nach kaltem Schwarztee duftet, aber, wenn man den besten seiner Klasse meint, dann kann es keine Beleidigung sein. Im zweiten Ansatz Lakritze, Vanillemark, Korinthen und eine reife Frucht, welche sich aber nicht in eine unbändige Süsse hineinsteigert, auf alle Fälle kann man hier von vollreifen Beeren sprechen. Im Gaumen gross, legendäre Tannine, die dem Körper eine mächtige Körperstatur verleihen, nachhaltiges, minutenlanges Finale."

JAMES SUCKLING: "The aromas of violets and rose petals are prevalent here with blue fruits as well. Full body, integrated and firm tannins and a long finish. Structured yet fine and shows such finesse. Give it five or six years to come together."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Silky, lush and polished, with intense florality, the fruit is soft and polished with length and purity. The wine is richly textured and complex, leaving you with an opulent, sensuous, long, expansive finish that has the ability to age for decades."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Still youthfully tight and backward, with a well-roasted frame of alder and juniper holding sway for now, but the core of cassis, blackberry and plum fruit waits in reserve, showing prodigious depth. When the toast and fruit melds, the backdrop of tobacco, singed iron and chalky minerality will get a turn to show. There's a lot here. Built for the cellar. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2040. 6,250 cases made. — JM"

JEB DUNNUCK: "From an incredible terroir just outside the village of Saint-Emilion and a blend of 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Canon-La-Gaffeliere is a beautiful, elegant, complex beauty readers should snatch up. Blueberries, violets/spring flowers, Asian spices, and a salty minerality all emerge from this full-bodied, yet elegant 2015 that has sweet tannin, a big mid-palate, and a great, great finish. Still tight and reserved, give bottle 3-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades or more."

DECANTER: "Sophisticated, smooth and regal, though a little hard to read, it's clearly full of tight, well-extracted fruit, some cinnamon and white pepper spice, and finely grained tannins. Very good quality, holding itself in check, insistent rather than loud. Drinking Window 2023 - 2035"

FALSTAFF: "Zart floral unterlegte schwarze Kirschen, feine Kräuterwürze, reife Pflaumen, etwas Nougat, tabakige Nuancen. Saftig, reife Herzkirschen, angenehme Extraktsüße, wirkt elegant und frisch, trinkanimierender, bereits zugänglich wirkender Wein mit sicherem Potenzial, sehr gute Zukunft, mineralischer Nachhall."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This structured wine also offers juicy, elegant fruit. Full of black plums, spice from judicious wood aging and acidity, its core remains to develop. The wine needs to age so drink after 2024."