Wine Advisor
Canon La Gaffeliere 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
A blend of 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2020 Canon la Gaffelière offers up inviting aromas of dark berries, plums, burning embers, rose petals, incense and bay leaf. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, it's suave and perfumed, with melting, powdery tannins and a vibrant core of fruit. As ever, the elevated percentage of Cabernet Franc lends it a singular and compelling style.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Canon La Gaffelière is heady, sumptuous and totally exotic. A wine of depth and striking intensity, the 2020 possesses tremendous balance right out of the gate. Ripe red plum, blood orange, pomegranate, spice and leather all meld together effortlessly. There's real presence and depth here. Time in the glass brings out the purity of the flavors. The blend is 55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. I can't wait to see how this ages
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Canon La Gaffelière is a strict, severe wine, almost unnaturally so. At this stage, the 2020 is all acid and tannin, and yet behind that lies a vibrant core of fruit. The big Franc aromatics, often such a signature, are nowhere to be found. Inky red berry fruit, blood orange, spice and star anise emerge with a bit of coaxing, all framed by a spine of serious tannins that are at once incisive and well-balanced. Readers should plan on being patient, as the 2020 is going to need years to come around. Despite its reticence, the 2020 appears to have significant potential down the line.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 Canon-la-Gaffelière has a vibrant and energetic bouquet driven by the 30% Cabernet Franc (from a massale selection) and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. This gives it a Left Bank slant in a positive sense, lending dimension. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, focused and saline, with a definite marine influence, undercurrents of brine and a touch of black olive compote. Beautifully composed on the finish, this is a delicious Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 Canon-la-Gaffelière is beautifully defined on the nose, featuring lavish black cherries, boysenberry, tobacco and cracked black pepper aromas. This is endowed with impressive precision and the oak is very well integrated. The medium-bodied palate delivers sappy black fruit, fine balance and poise and a lightly spiced, edgy, almost citrus-like finish. Packed to the rafters with vim and vigor, this is a superb Saint-Émilion.
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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Package Size
1 x 3L
