Wine Advisor
Canon La Gaffeliere 2013
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Canon-la-Gaffeliere is a blend of 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon picked form 27 September until 9 October, raised in 70% new oak. There is a pastille like quality on the nose with scents of red cherries and fresh strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, light in the mouth but quite tensile, with a slightly chewy finish. It seems more reserved than previous vintages and more introspective, but perhaps it will come out of its shell during elevage. Tasted April 2014.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Production was down to one-third of what they produced in 2012, as only 2,000+ cases came out of this 30-acre vineyard from the clay and limestone soils at the bottom of the foothills of St.-Emilion. The final blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet France and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from proprietor Stephan von Neipperg achieved 12.85% natural alcohol. Plenty of Christmas fruitcake, licorice, tobacco leaf, and red and blackcurrants are present in this soft, easygoing, fruity wine that will be charming and ideal for drinking in its first 7-8 years of life.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Canon la Gaffelière has a pretty nose in the context of the vintage: no under-ripeness here and nicely defined with scents of black cherries, iodine, violet and cedar. The palate is soft and supple on the entry with light tannin, a touch of mocha tinging the red and black fruit, leading to a structured finish that is simple but lingers in satisfying fashion. This easy-going Saint Emilion should provide a decade's worth of pleasure.
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.
1971(1)1981(1)1982(1)1990(1)1996(1)1999(1)2000(4)2001(2)2004(1)2005(4)2006(2)2008(1)2009(2)2010(2)2011(2)2012(4)
Package Size
