99pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2009 Chateau Canon is brilliant in every regard and certainly one of the finest wines from this estate I've ever tasted. Based on 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet from a Grand Cru terroir located on the upper, limestone-driven plateau outside of the village of Saint-Emilion, it’s still youthfully ruby-colored and boasts a beautiful perfume of blackberries, black raspberries, white flowers, chalky minerality, truffle, and dried flowers. Firing on all cylinders, with incredible complexity and sweetness in its aromatics, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a multi-dimensional texture, building tannins, and a finish that won't quit.

97pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Canon is a little reticent to begin, opening out to notions of rare beef, cast iron pan, cigar boxes and cloves with a core of baked plums and mulberries plus a waft of dried lavender. Full, richly fruited and sill quite youthful, the palate has a firm yet velvety texture and seamless freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and mineral laced.

95pts Wine Enthusiast

Hugely dense, foursquare wine with great fruit and the purest tannins. Chocolate and coffee predominate at the same time as sweet tannins and acidity. A wine that combines charm with power.

95pts James Suckling

A fleshy and generous St.-Emilion with a great interplay of fresh and super-ripe plum aromas. Behind this is quite a major tannin structure and plenty of chalky minerality that carries the bold finish beautifully. Drink or hold

93pts Wine Spectator

This is a creamy, lush hedonist’s wine, with suave, textured layers of fig sauce, pureed plum and cassis woven with hints of mocha and pain d’épices. Picks up grip though, joined by a roasted mesquite hint on the finish for added length.

93pts Decanter

The director of Canon in 2009 was John Kolasa, a less deft touch perhaps than Nicolas Audebert today, but still making some great wines. This has ripe fruits and a generous attack. It's still very young but there are hints of a wine that's starting to evolve, with moments of tobacco and leather. The mouthwatering juiciness through the back half of the palate is really appetising, and although it's less precise than a Canon of today, you can certainly see all the building blocks here. It has a slightly savoury quality to the fruit, not displaying the excess of some St-Emilions in this vintage. A good quality wine, this is entering its drinking window but has plenty of time left.

Winemaker Notes

The velvety, silky style of Chateau Canon is the magical result of the way its grape varieties benefit from its soil. The limestone containing fossilized starfish makes the wines that grow in it fresh, subtle and elegant. They have a remarkable capacity for aging. Chateau Canon is therefore a wine that requires patience, which over time slowly reveals its noble qualities. With the exception of a storm in August, the 2009 vintage is characterized by very little rain. The flowering, very homogenous, started at the beginning of June and color change happened from July 25th onwards During summer, the beautiful days of August and September, with high temperatures and cool nights, encouraged a slow and complete maturation of the grapes. Because of little rain in June, July and August, the berries remained small, revealing a dense colour and beautiful richness. Under these circumstances, the clay and limestone terroir of Canon made the difference, preserving the freshness of the vintage. Perfect weather allowed us to harvest under ideal conditions. The quality of the berries which arrived on the sorting tables made the work of our vineyard team even easier.

Winery Notes

The different plots of vines total 54 acres of very uniform soil types, which is the first hint that Chateau Caonon is unusual with respect to the rest of the Saint Emilion area. The Subltle combination of limestone containing fossilized starfish covered by a thin layer of clay left behind by a prehistoric lake, constitute an ideal environment for the grape varieties, highlighting the expression of their characteristics. Fresh, yet not very rich, this type of soil is a perfectly balanced medium for the vines that keeps yields down while enhancing quality. The different steps in the vineyard management calendar are scrupulously respected throughout the year. Chateau Canon manages its plots sustainably, ensuring perfect ripeness and making it easier to identify the best batches of fruit, which are vinified separately. The policy is clearly to foster environmental preservation.