Château Canon 2001

Château Canon is a property that has experienced a meteoric rise in quality.  The most recent vintage, the 2020, has been ranked as having 100 point potential.  The demand is off the charts for this wine, and many critics consider the grand vin from Château Canon to be the Right Bank wine of the vintage.  Since this estate was acquired by the Wertheimer family who made their fortunes as the owners of the famous luxury goods manufacturer, Chanel, the wine from this Saint-Émilion Premiere Grand Crus Classés Class B property has never been better.  Of all the producers on the Right Bank, Château Canon is definitely one of the ones to watch.

Château Canon has a very interesting history indeed.  The estate was initially a part of the Clos St. Martin vineyard in the 1700s.  Just 60 years later the estate was acquired by Jacques Kanon, a pirate who made his fortune plundering the high seas.  Jaques Kanon expanded the vineyard and ordered construction of the original château to be completed in 1767.  The property was then sold to Raymond Fontemoing, a Bordeaux négociant after being owned by Jaques Kanon for a decade.  The Fontemoing family owned a property in Fronsac named Château Canon, and they named the estate Château Canon in an effort to expand their brand presence. The estate changed hands multiple times until it was acquired by the Wertheimer family.  The Wertheimer family is no stranger to the wine industry, and it is an empirical fact that they have the magic touch. After acquiring Château Berliquet in Saint-Émilion, they turned that property into a rising star.  The Wertheimer family are also owners of the esteemed Second Growth Château, Rauzan Ségla, a property now considered to have, "Super Second," status.  After acquiring Château Canon,  they were willing to spare no expense in renovating the property, and they had their work cut out for them.

The vineyards were disease-ridden, and the limestone quarries and tunnels were very much on the brink of collapse.  In 2012 the estate had a very extensive renovation which was finished in 2015.  The team hired Nicolas Audebert of Cheval des Andes to oversee operations and he made the intelligent hiring decision to bring on Thomas Duclos as a consultant.  Since then, the 34-hectare property has had a dramatic rise in quality.  The limestone terroir is planted with a mixture of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Château Canon has excellent neighbors, with views of esteemed estates like Château Quintus and Château Angelus.  The majority of the vines are 30 years old, though there are some vines that date to the end of the 1930s. 

The wine of Château Canon is vinified in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. It is then aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.  Château Canon is a formidable expression of Right Bank terroir.  For those who love the mineral-laced wines of Saint-Émilion and their ripe flavors of dark berries – Château Canon is a very worthy purchase.  Yet with all that in mind, the wine demands time to age and reveal its subtle intricacies.  For those who are willing to wait, they will be rewarded with a truly stunning wine.

''Fresh figs, salted crackers, blond tobacco, sweet red berries, liqourice root, all delivered with fresh acidities and tapering off to a gentle finish. Beautiful limestone character coming through also, in a vintage that was naturally sculpted and suited the character of this location. John Kolasa director, and at this point five years after the purchase of Canon by the Wertheimer brothers of Chanel.'' Jane Anson, Best Pomerol 2020 Wines Tasted En Primeur (6/09/2022) Ratings: 93 Drink: 2022-2035

''The 2001 Château Canon is drinking beautifully, with a fully mature feel in its mostly red fruits, spice, and floral notes, with some undeniable minerality in the background. It brings impressive ripeness, is medium-bodied, and has a supple, elegant mouthfeel and outstanding length. This classy, elegant, ready-to-go beauty should be drunk over the coming decade.'' Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2020: En Primeur (3/07/2024) Ratings: 92 Drink: 2024-2034

"Tasted at the Château Canon vertical, the 2001 Canon is a good if not great contribution to the vintage, though within the context of great Right Bank wines, I am convinced that it should be better. It has a nicely defined nose that rather lacks some elegance and complexity: red pastilles, a touch of cherry liqueur and balsamic. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, quite mature for a 2001, leathery and a little loose knit with an attenuated, soy-tinged finish. This is just so-so. A second bottle is poured and granted, it is better. But it still does not match the bar set by what was a great Right Bank vintage. It just seems rather conservative, unwilling to make the effort to create a great Canon à la 2005, 2009 or 2010. Tasted October 2015." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate (3/31/2017), Ratings: 86