Château Canon 2010

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.

About 25 years ago, French fashion house CHANEL entered into the world of fine wine.  It purchased the largely underperforming Margaux Second Growth estate Château Rauzan-Ségla. Two years later they acquired the Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, Château Canon.  Through consistent investment in the land and the oversight and management by the same winemaking team led by the talended Nicolas Audebert, they have since turned these properties into two of the most in-demand wines in Bordeaux today.  They have further acquired Château Berliquet in Saint-Emilion, and turned that property into a rising star.  Subscribers to our Wine of the Month program would know, as we have featured Château Berliquet 2010 in our April 2021 selection.

"Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Canon features wonderfully expressive notes of dried mulberries, stewed plums and baked black cherries with hints of mocha, bay leaves and fallen leaves. Full-bodied, opulent and super spicy, it has a plush texture with a racy line supporting the hedonic fruit, finishing with jaw-dropping persistence." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (3/5/2020), Ratings: 96+, Drink: 2020-2052

"Black chocolate, liqourice, black cherries and cassis, tons of spice. Still pretty closed right now, although the depths become clear as it opens, with tannins tugging on the close of play, demanding just a few more minutes of your attention. Hint of tobacco and tomato leaf alongside eucalpytus and mint highlight a greener side, and give an excellent counterbalance to the ripeness, adding complexity and interest. At the beginning of its drinking window, but no rush. This was the last vintage where Clos Canon came from plots within Château Canon. Harvest September 27 to October 4, 35hl/h yield, 60% new oak." Jane Anson, Best Pomerol 2020 Wines Tasted En Primeurr (4/07/2021), Ratings: 96, Drink: 2021-2045

"Along with the brilliant 2009, the 2010 Canon appears to be the finest wine made at this estate since the 1982. Aficionados of this 50-acre vineyard situated on the top of the St.-Emilion plateau will have fun comparing the 2009 and 2010 over the next 30 years. Composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that hit 15% natural alcohol (a record here), the 2010 offers up perfumed notes of spring flowers, crushed chalk, black currants, black cherries, earth, forest floor and oak. Full-bodied as well as elegant and precise, this brilliant effort needs 5-8 years of cellaring and should drink well for three decades or more." - Robert Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate (5/1/2011, Issue 194), Ratings: 92-94+, Drink: 2016-2046