Chateau Canon 2019

The best Croix Canon ever, with a smooth, creamy opening lifted by a subtle bounce and excellent length.

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.

Violet, cassis, plum purée and blackberry reduction notes are layered together without being compacted, giving each space to breathe and unfurl while letting the fine lacy thread of chalky minerality flow in between. This shows the heat and slight grain of this distinctive vintage, but manages those aspects better than most. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2038.

Canon has been on an amazing run since 2015, and the 2019 continues this performance. Carries 14.5% alcohol with ease. Complex aromas and flavors of spices, moccha, smoky notes, licorice and dark cherry/blackberry fruit. Freshness from the abundant acidity and mineral notes give the wine a profound elegance despite the sumptuous texture. Fully deserves its 1er Grand Cru Classé B classification.

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.

The 2019 Canon is creamy and layered. A wine of immense charm and sensuality, the 2019 is immediately appealing today, but also clearly has the potential to age for many decades. The 2019 is not as exuberant as most recent vintages, and yet its balance is simply magnificent. Readers can expect an aristocratic Saint-Émilion that is holding so much in reserve. Patience is key. Tasted three times.

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.

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, multidimensional mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a finish that’s something to behold. This isn’t the massive style of 2015 and reminds me slightly of 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.

Château Canon has been taking off over the past few years, and here you see why. So much complexity, depth, power, and interest in the whole. This buzzes with life, lifts above the palate, full of gunsmoke, truffle, raspberry, blueberry—so delicious. It needs time but already shows it will be worth the wait. 45 hl/ha, pH 3.5, harvest September 11 to October 4, 50% new oak. Thomas Duclos consults.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Canon prances out with showy notes of wild blueberries, fresh boysenberries, and black raspberries giving way to fragrant scents of sassafras, cumin seed, star anise, and red roses. The full-bodied palate delivers waves of bright black and blue fruits with wonderful freshness and plush, rounded tannins, finishing long and energetic.

In this vintage, the cru seems to have gained the substance it may have lacked in the past. Moreover, we feel that the terroir manages to take precedence over the year. Even in the wine’s youth, the limestone tannins of Canon and the finish that subtly intertwines saline notes and bitterness are identifiable.

The nobility of its little sister Berliquet turns into majesty at Canon, with an elegant nose of pure, perfectly ripe red-purple fruit. The bouquet takes you to the clouds. On the palate, a wave of inky black fruit, yet with that depth of ripe fruit touched by grace, washing up on a saline minerality and melting sweetness. The cashmere texture — signed Chanel — carries through a long, refreshingly cool finish. Dangerously addictive!

From the very first sniff, the wine’s greatness shows itself with remarkable serenity. It shines with complexity and the ability to reveal many facets through spicy, fruity and mineral nuances—among others. On the palate, Canon embodies the notion of quiet strength. Its tannins, with an ultra-fine grain, unfold slowly and impress with subtlety, precision and power. Freshness and tension are also a major part of the palate’s character. Everything is coherent, well-focused and on point. A truly great wine that confirms the exceptional level it has displayed for several years.

The nose is elegant, precise, held back in the best sense of the word (on its elegant side), and offers controlled power (with finesse), finely tuned intensity and a lovely, racy grain. It reveals notes of vibrant Boysenberry, bright blue fruits and, more subtly, graphite, joined by touches of sweet spices, crushed strawberry, juicy small fruits, as well as hints of grey pepper, lilac, nutmeg, a subtle sense of place, cypress, a discreet touch of tobacco and a subtle, almost rose-like nuance. The palate is fruity, balanced, elegant, racy, all about finesse and precision, and offers delicacy, harmony, depth, a touch of “airy creaminess,” a certain refined, controlled richness, an appealing multilayered character, a gentle fruit pulpiness and complexity. Lovely finesse in both richness and elegance. On the palate, this wine shows notes of vibrant Boysenberry, bright raspberry and, more lightly, blueberry, along with hints of crushed small red berries, bright plum, and touches of nutmeg and vanilla, with a subtle backdrop of chocolate. Beautifully persistent and delicate finish.

Dark, intense, and bright color. A very aromatic nose, delicate, fruity, pure, subtle, and complex. Delicately soft on the attack, highly perfumed mid-palate, with a crystalline texture and great depth of flavor; the wine builds from mid-palate to finish, moving slowly and gently toward a long, complex, noble persistence. A remarkable wine.