Château Canon La Gaffelière 2025

Beautiful aromatics, floral notes and Chinese five spice with some sweet red berry fruit. Juicy and lifted, a really lovely calm, chiselled and soft frame with velvety tannins and ripe but cool fruit. Acidity is not too tight and this has a generous but controlled element. Balanced and poised but maybe missing a touch more density of fruit. Lovely layering of texture and aromatic complexity.

Black cherries, licorice, flowers, chocolate, smoke, and mint leaves create the perfume. The multiple layers of fruit grab your attention with their elegance, purity, and energy, finishing with a refreshing touch of chocolate-mint and a light touch of sea salt, adding sapidity, so you want to take another sniff and sip, just for the pleasure of it. The wine blends 45% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13% ABV. The harvest took place from September 16 - September 19, making this the shortest harvest in the history of the property. Yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2029-2055. 95-97 Pts

High pumice stone grip, certainly very much on the limestone character, attractive and with plenty of lift and grip, and an underlying and highly attractive drama from grilled sandalwood and incense oak notes. A more subdued Canon la Gaffelière at this early stage, will widen and deepen over ageing. Yield 35 hl/ha. 30% new oak for ageing.

The depth and complexity of the bouquet say a great deal about this wine’s calibre. It reveals a wealth of nuances, both floral and fruity, with clear emphasis on peony notes. It also shows hints of mint, red berries and blueberries, standing out not only for its range but also for its ability to focus on freshness, even in a warm context. The next challenge is the balance it can deliver on the palate—and it meets it with truly dazzling composure. Carried by velvety, subtly austere tannins, it has everything required for elegance, expression and ageing potential. Powerful and persistent, it calls for time to fully unfold, but the foundations are already firmly in place. A great Canon La Gaffelière that will delight generations to come!

On three occasions, I found the palate a little light-bodied. Blend: 40% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Alcohol by volume: 13%.

Enchantingly floral, deep and wonderfully noble on the nose: dark berries with hints of floral tea. On the palate, it shows a creamy texture and velvety tannins; the fruit is perfectly ripe. A superb acidity brings drive; the wine is vertical, full of energy, and lingers very long on the finish. Once again, a delicacy without equal.