Wine Advisor
Canon La Gaffeliere 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château Canon-la-Gaffelière 2014 is a blend of 55% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between 25 September to 9 October. Stephan von Neipperg told me that this is the first vintage that the estate is certified organic. Matured in 70% new oak barrels, it has a really quite sensual bouquet with lascivious red cherries and strawberry fruit lavished in new oak that is completely in sync. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, harmonious as usual. It is not the most sophisticated Canon-la-Gaffelière that you will ever taste, but there is engaging freshness and impressive length here. I suspect it will settle amongst the upper band of my score once in bottle. Very fine.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Canon la Gaffeliere has a fruit-driven, powerful bouquet with rounded raspberry, kirsch, mulberry and light honeyed scents that seem pure and seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated red plum and tart cherry fruit. There is a spicy residue on the back palate with fine structure and poise towards the finish. As ever, a well-crafted, quite delicious Canon la Gaffeliere that should age with style. If the 2014 Canon doesn't quite deliver the opulence for you, then this suits the bill.
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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