Wine Advisor
Canon La Gaffeliere 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Chateau Branaire-Ducru. This remains just a little subdued on the nose with black plum, a touch of pomegranate and almost Burgundian personality that is very pure and alluring. The palate is medium-bodied, retaining its lithe texture but showing more backbone than last year, developing an animally note on the primal finish. This is an ‘upstanding’ Saint Emilion 2006, although it does not have the full flotilla of fireworks to leave you enthralled. Drink 2010-2018. Tasted April 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Stephan von Neipperg’s flagship estate (and, in my opinion, one that should have been upgraded to a premier grand cru classe in the new St.-Emilion hierarchy) has turned in another stunning performance. A blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, from small yields of 35 hectoliters per hectare, the 2006 exhibits a dense ruby/purple color as well as scents of creme de cassis, pain grille, espresso roast, chocolate, and spicy roasted herbs. Dense, medium to full-bodied, and surprisingly opulent for a 2006, with oodles of fruit, and terrific structure as well as purity, it is a more noble expression of Neipperg’s other St.-Emilion, Clos de l’Oratoire. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. This has a very modern, oaky nose with touches of damson and prune; black plum, cassis and fruitcake...not my style to be honest. The palate is rich and dense, firm toasty tannins, generous but lacking some backbone towards the smooth, silky finish. It imparts more pleasure than intellect and if that is its aim, it has succeeded. Tasted January 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This is a little subdued on the nose with plum and blackcurrant aromas. The palate is very supple and lithe, a little low in acidity with a fleshy red-berried finish. Perhaps just lacking a little weight and backbone, but still a pleasing wine with harmony and grace. Tasted February 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the UGC. This is a very fine Saint Emilion. Good intensity on the palate with black cherry, iodine, minerals. Good tension on the medium-bodied palate with firm structure and succulent texture. Harmonious and well-defined with wild strawberry, redcurrants and a touch of liquorice. A pert, tart finish. Very fine. Tasted April 2007.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Stephan von Neipperg’s splendid 50-acre vineyard on clay and limestone soils has once again produced a beautifully ripe, concentrated, textured, sensual wine of both power and elegance. The 2006, an unfined, unfiltered blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, reveals sweet aromas of fruitcake, cassis, black cherries, roasted herbs, cedar, and spice box. This pure, textured, forward beauty should drink well for 12-15+ years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière has a relatively opulent bouquet compared to the 2006 Les Grandes Murailles, with scents of cassis, cranberry, leather and roasted herbs, demonstrating a little more "guts" than its peers (as Canon-la-Gaffelière is wont to do). The palate is medium-bodied with furry tannin, quite plush in the mouth with tart red cherry fruit, strawberry, morels and a vein of tobacco towards the finish that carries commendable weight. This is drinking well after ten years and should provide another five years of drinking pleasure. Tasted January 2016.
About the Producer
Château Canon La Gaffelière is a well-regarded Premier Grand Cru Classé wine estate in the Saint-Émilion region of northeastern Bordeaux. The château is known for the elegance and finesse of its wines as much as it is for its owner: Count Stephan von Neipperg. The estate and château lies just south of Saint-Émilion town and was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé 2012. Canon La Gaffelière's 19.5-hectare (48-acre) vineyard is a mix of clay-limestone and clay-sand soils, with predominantly sandy topsoils. These characteristics are well-suited to the grape varieties planted here with the vineyards composed of 55 percent Merlot, 40 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. At harvest, the grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed without crushing, then fermented in temperature-controlled wooden vats. They are then aged in mostly new oak barrels for up to 20 months. The Canon La Gaffelière estate began as two separate holdings in the 19th Century: Canon Boitard and La Gaffelière Boitard. They were eventually combined, and then acquired by the Von Neipperg family in 1971. Current proprietor Count Stephan von Neipperg also owns La Mondotte, Clos de L'Oratoire and Château Peyreau in Saint-Émilion, plus a handful of other estates around Bordeaux.
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