Château Canon 2011

Elegant, with refined, fruity spice; racy tannins that still finish just a touch dry, as is normal at this stage; perfect balance between density and freshness.

Pretty solid, with a core of plum cake and blackberry confiture studded with warm ganache and fruitcake notes. The plush, open finish has a flattering feel, showing subtle persistence. Drink now through 2022.

A young red with polish and poise. It sneaks up on you. Full-bodied with plum, blackberry, and light mineral and chalk undertones. Extremely fine tannins that build on your palate. The texture makes this wine outstanding. Try in 2017.

It's hard to believe a wine of this quality was produced in a difficult vintage, but the truth is in the glass. Right? Here you find beautifully ripe, sweet, fresh cherries, earthy nuances, medium body, soft ripe tannins, and a purity of fruit on the finish that holds its own. 3–5 years of cellaring will have this really showing well.

Also brilliant, and actually not far off the 2005, the 2011 Canon is a nominal blend of mostly Merlot with 25–30% Cabernet Franc brought up in a mix of new and used French oak. Its youthful purple/plum color is followed by a sweet bouquet of red and black currants, kirsch, licorice, chalky minerality, and ample Asian-inspired spices. Rich, full-bodied, and beautifully textured, it’s still youthful but drinking well, and has another two decades of prime drinking ahead of it. It’s a terrific 2011!

Spicy bouquet with cardamom and black pepper, followed by freshly tanned leather and dried cherries. On the firm palate, a tightly knit tannic framework, austere texture, drying, lacking charm here! In the sealed-off finish, red-berry contours, tobacco leaf and juniper.

Deep purple, dense at the core, with garnet glints at the rim. Deep bouquet, opening immediately on tobacco and black plum. On the palate, a supple texture with praline and blackberry, fine tea nuances, and plenty of lingering aromatics. This exceptionally successful Canon convinces with its gentle charm.

Silky, fresh, elegant bouquet with raspberry, strawberry, vanilla and mint. Balanced, elegant, finely structured palate with good sweet aromatics, fine slightly powdery tannins, good fruit, and a fresh, sweet finish. 17/20 2018 - 2034

An evident delicacy to the tannins, this is rippling with flavour and definitely moreish, but the austerity of the vintage is evident, meaning it is subtle and lightly structured rather than generous. Plenty of sappy fruit flavours as things relax in the glass, with redcurrant, black cherries and cassis, set against crushed stones, white pepper spice, smoke, cold campfire. Harvest September 13 to 17, pH 3.49, 36hl/ha yield. 70% new oak.

Deep garnet in color, the 2011 Canon skips out with cheery notes of Morello cherries, black raspberries, and rose oil plus touches of fallen leaves, dried Provence herbs, and Ceylon tea. The medium-bodied palate is light on its feet and refreshing, with lightly chewy tannins and loads of savory nuances on the soft-spoken finish.

This classic vintage is slowly emerging and offers a chalky tension in the finely coated tannin grain—absolutely superb.

A lovely roundness envelops this well-crafted wine—charm and elegance.

Not very expressive, this Château Canon struggles to reveal its fruit. There are notes of tobacco and a light spicy touch. On the palate, the wine is balanced and appealing on the attack. It has granular tannins that are in perfect harmony with the structure. The finish is fruity, and the wine needs time to open up. A fine success.

93-95. Barrel sample. A firm and tannic wine, it has the weight to support its tannins. It's balanced, solid and dense, with a powerful shot of black fruits.

Tertiary notes are emerging here – savoury notes of forest undergrowth sitting alongside the wine’s natural fruit. The palate combines both a vibrant freshness and sense of resolution, feeling melded and seamless in profile. There’s a bite of red fruit, with mouthwatering acidity, building to graphite-edged finish with a fine grip of tannins.

A super effort from Chateau Canon, this property, owned by the proprietors of the haute couture house of Chanel, has turned in a stunningly rich 2011 Canon with a full-bodied texture and surprising concentration and purity. It is a noble, intense Canon with sweet tannin, lavish concentration (atypical for the vintage), and a stunningly long finish. It should drink well for two decades, and will always be one of the major stars of the vintage. Bravo!