Château Canon 2022

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.

"Tasted on three separate occasions (and I thought it had the potential to be a perfect wine on one of those), the 2022 Château Canon is an incredible wine in the making, and it might be the finest in the series starting in 2015. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc harvested between August 30 and September 22, it comes from yields of 45 hectoliters per hectare and hit 14.5% alcohol. The élevage will run 16-18 months in just 30% new French oak. As classy as they come, it has a beautiful perfume of red and blue fruits as well as notes of white flowers, truffly earth, woodsmoke, and forest floor. With incredible density, a multi-layered texture, ultra-fine tannins, and integrated acidity, this incredible Canon will evolve for 30-40 years. I finished my rough note on this with "Pure class." Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2022 En Primeur (5/10/2023), Ratings: 97-99+

"From an estate that is delivering its greatest run of vintages since the superb Post War series that preceded the frosts of 1956, the 2022 Canon is a magical wine that will be worth every effort to track down. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, wild plums and cherries mingled with hints of bay leaf, spices and violets, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with huge levels of concentration, vibrant acids and beautifully refined tannins. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this pure, perfumed and ineffably complete Canon is built for the ages, even if its structural polish is such that it will be approachable at a surprisingly early age." William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (4/28/2023), Ratings: 99-100