Château Canon 2022

This bouquet is almost unmatched in subtlety—immensely deep, playful, with delicate fruit, herbal spice, violets and an intense fruit character; it grips the palate, showing a sweet fruit core carried by the finest chalky tannins, with perfect structure; a sensationally long finish, echoing milk chocolate. A monumental Canon, carved from stone, built for a small eternity. Can Saint-Émilion do better?

The 2022 Canon has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet raspberries, wild berries and cherries mingled with hints of violets, pencil shavings, black truffle and rose petals, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a dense, enveloping core of fruit underpinned by a chassis of sweet, suave tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. This is one of the most muscular, broad-shouldered vintages of Canon in recent years, but it retains every bit of its limestone-driven identity. As I wrote two years ago, this is an estate that is delivering its greatest run of vintages since the superb Post War series that preceded the frosts of 1956, and the 2022 is indeed reminiscent of a modern day version of one of those great years.

This offers some fairly compelling fruit, with raspberry and red currant puree flavors that stream through with focus and precision, backed by red tea, hibiscus, violet and savory notes. The long, pinpoint finish is very refined, as minimal toast lets the fruit just cruise. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 6,700 cases made, 800 cases imported.

Expressive and evocative, with ripe strawberries, cola, wet stones, liquorice and roses. Glossy and intense, packed with blackcurrant, cherry, blueberry and strawberry. The tannins have a salty edge, adding structure. Tension and focus define this wine, with a streamlined core lifted by crystalline acidity. Delicate, precise and balanced. A long, lingering finish shows gentle winemaking and deft ageing. Beautifully composed, this is an outstanding, must-have wine.

Fascinating dark aromas such as cherries and currants as well as Spanish cedar. Umami. Some dried flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, this has juicy and savory fruit such as intense berries with sandalwood and dried-mushroom undertones. Lots going on here. Very muscular for Canon but well-formed and beautiful. Minerally and salty at the end. 75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc. Best after 2022.

The 2022 Canon has a more floral bouquet, with violet and wilted rose petal infusing the red fruit, well defined, with an underlying mineralité manifesting with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, brisk and focused, sapid with a tingle of allspice towards the sustained and animated finish. Great potential and unequivocally one of the greatest vintages of Canon in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Aromatically, the wine pops with its floral bouquet, coupled with notes of mint, crushed stones, red fruits, licorice, spice, and wild cherries. On the palate, the wine is perfectly poised with elegance, finesse, silkiness, freshness, sexiness, sensuality, and a tannic structure that will allow it to age and evolve effortlessly for 4–5 decades. From start to finish, the fruit shows a remarkable purity with a salt-tinged edge on the finish. There are no hard edges. The finish is seamless. This is a beauty! Drink from 2029–2065.

Deep dark ruby in colour with purple reflections and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, a very inviting bouquet of ripe red cherry, nougat, liquorice, fine oak and some cassis. The palate is complex, with fine sweetness, integrated, supporting tannins and good freshness, with notes of ripe cherry on a long, saline mineral finish. Certain potential for future ageing.

Ripe black cherries, graphite, crushed stone, and a beautiful floral character all define the 2022 Château Canon, another brilliantly pure and seamless wine from this team. Based on 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, it was raised in 50% new French oak, with a small percentage in foudre. Medium to full-bodied, it’s focused and precise on the palate, with ripe, polished tannins, integrated acidity, and a gorgeous finish. The elegance and purity here are truly striking, and it brings that rare mix of power and elegance. This sensational Saint-Émilion should evolve gracefully for three decades. In my view, it’s the finest Canon ever, surpassing the 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Well structured, an exceptional wine, and one that will age without a worry. Great depth to the creamy black, blue and red fruits, enjoyable sage and white pepper spice, touches of lemongrass and mandarin peel, plenty of concentration, has signature and complexity, with an ocean spray salinity on the finish. 45hl/ha yield after careful vineyard work to protect the grapes from the heat, aged in 50% new oak, including four large oak casks, in organic conversion.

A generous, enveloping red fruit that invites you into its kitchen as jam is being made, with irresistible authenticity. On the palate, the experience is complete: every corner of the mouth is filled with this vibrant substance. More than a taste, it’s a sensation, an immersion. It’s alive: you could almost hear the hum of bees foraging from flower to flower. The finish is long and persistent.

Depth, definition and subtlety set the opening markers. The wine is serene, almost masterful, delicate and assured. The palate had better brace itself, yet it brilliantly takes in the bouquet’s feats. Dense, velvety, elegant and vigorous, the wine can pride itself on its quiet strength, its civilized energy and its contemporary crunch! An exceptional wine that has no need to flaunt its power, since its keen sense of detail assumes a responsibility not only respectable but praiseworthy! Greatness cannot be measured; it is experienced!

Dark, deep purple color. Very aromatic nose, delicate, fruity, subtle and complex. At once smooth and floral, with a hint of violet. The latter evokes pinot noir. Ultra-precise on entry, very flavorful at mid-palate, with graceful texture, sensual; the wine melts and above all perfumes the mouth as never before, with less body than in other vintages. A flavor profile unlike anything else in Bordeaux, revealed by this very singular vintage. Blend: 75% merlot, 25% cabernet franc. Alcohol: 14.5% - pH: 3.5. Yield: 45 hl/ha.

A wine of pure lines and pristine texture, both sensual and intellectual. The aromatics are precise, floral, suspended. The palate feel is perfectly silky, framed by chalky tannins; everything shows incredible softness and creaminess while retaining an electric, almost feline vibration. In short, pure Canon in every sense. It’s a calm wave that unfurls at length, culminating in a mouthwatering, juicy finish with remarkable persistence. It will span generations.

A dark chocolate wine with rich tannins delivers a sense of power and density. The Merlot in the blend gives a wine that, while it is structured, it is also packed with black fruits. The wine is precise and impressive.