Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere 2015
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Wong
Wilfred -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
#2 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2018
The wines of Château Canon La Gaffelière have been certified organic. They are classy, remarkably well-structured, complex, pure, and always elegant.
Blend: 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in French oak, 55% new, for 17 months, the 2015 Canon la Gaffeliere features a deep garnet-purple color and a cedar-laced nose to begin, giving way to fragrant underlying scents of roses and violets with a core of crushed black currants, blackberries and Bing cherries plus hints of fallen leaves and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, the seductively perfumed red and black fruit fills the mouth, framed with plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing very long and minerally.
-
Wine Spectator
Still youthfully tight and backward, with a well-roasted frame of alder and juniper holding sway for now, but the core of cassis, blackberry and plum fruit waits in reserve, showing prodigious depth. When the toast and fruit melds, the backdrop of tobacco, singed iron and chalky minerality will get a turn to show. There’s a lot here. Built for the cellar. Best from 2025 through 2040.
-
James Suckling
The aromas of violets and rose petals are prevalent here with blue fruits as well. Full body, integrated and firm tannins and a long finish. Structured yet fine and shows such finesse. Give it five or six years to come together.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
After tasting this wine over the past two decades, I have grown to see it as one of Saint-Émilion's most powerful wines. The wine always offers excellent black fruit and oak aromas and flavors, but its tannins have also been strong. The 2015 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière has all of its parts in check, and the wine is stunning. The wine is quite substantial on the palate and exhibits bright blackcurrants, with a hint of violets. Pair its balanced richness with a crown roast of lamb. (Tasted: January 25, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
-
Jeb Dunnuck
From an incredible terroir just outside the village of Saint-Emilion and a blend of 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Canon-La-Gaffeliere is a beautiful, elegant, complex beauty readers should snatch up. Blueberries, violets/spring flowers, Asian spices, and a salty minerality all emerge from this full-bodied, yet elegant 2015 that has sweet tannin, a big mid-palate, and a great, great finish. Still tight and reserved, give bottle 3-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades or more.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This structured wine also offers juicy, elegant fruit. Full of black plums, spice from judicious wood aging and acidity, its core remains to develop. The wine needs to age so drink after 2024.
-
Decanter
Pure and fragrant with a delightfully perfumed nose. The palate is harmonious and poised with a velvety texture showing maturity and freshness. Fruit very much to the fore backed by fine-grained tannins and a persistent finish. Now organically certified.
Other Vintages
2022-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
- Vinous
- Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
- Vinous
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Suckling
James - Vinous
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Guide
Connoisseurs'
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Guide
Connoisseurs'
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Located on the famous slope (and the foot of the slope) south of the medieval village of Saint-Emilion, Chateau Canon La Gaffelière has belonged to the Counts von Neipperg since 1971. Representing some eight centuries of family winegrowing tradition, Count Stephan von Neipperg has succeeded in placing Chateau Canon La Gaffelière among the top Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Emilion thanks to a winegrowing philosophy that gives priority not only to quality, but also respect for the environment.
Chateau Canon La Gaffelière is located on the outskirts of the medieval town of Saint-Emilion, at the southern foot of the slope. The 19.5 hectare (48 acres) vineyard has a complex, outstanding terroir of clay-limestone and clay-sand soil. The topsoil is primarily sandy, increasingly so as one moves away from the slope. The unusual proportion of grape varieties (55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) at Canon-La-Gaffelière is perfectly suited to the soil.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.