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Canon la Gaffelière 2017

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot

Stefan Von Neipperg's Canon la Gaffeliere was one of the first vineyards where winemaker Stephane Derenoncourt made his mark. Modern in style but not overblown or jammy.

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Label

Tasting Notes

The 2017 Canon la Gaffeliere is deep garnet-colored. So perfumed on the nose with gorgeous notes of kirsch, black raspberries, and red roses, plus wafts of powdered cinnamon, underbrush, and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is fantastically graceful with fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness supporting the perfumed red and black fruit layers, finishing long and minerally.

97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, December 2022

A linear, tight red with currant and fresh-herb aromas and flavors. Medium body. Fine tannins and a bright finish. Clean and lively. Drink in 2021 and onwards.

93
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2020

Dark plum in colour, with some tight dark chocolate and tar. It's tightly extracted and has a silky texture and tons of impact, but a lot of the weight comes from its non-fruit elements. It stays true to its signature, which is to be applauded, but the oak notes are extremely dominant. Certified organic since 2014.
Drinking Window 2025 - 2038

90
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2018

Pretty similar dark crimson to the 2016. Very sweet start, and polished tannins. Not trying to be a blockbuster. This will be an extremely satisfactory lunchtime claret. Fast maturing. Good balance.
Drink 2022-2030

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, May 2018

Very dark, black core. Lightly minty black fruit, suggesting ripeness, and a touch of oak char. Sweet and juicy on the palate, surprisingly light overall but harmonious and mouth-wateringly fresh.
Drink 2023-2030

16.5
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2018

The harvest took place between 18th September and 10th October. 65% production was affected by frost. Smoky, rich and wild, this is a nose I have not yet encountered this year and there is dense concentration here with swarming tannins throughout the palate. Very mouth-watering and combative with powdery astringency in every molecule, this is a tough wine and it struggling to gain control of itself. The oak is fairly strong and this manages to add another layer of difficulty to the game.

17.5+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2018
Read more tasting notes...

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Canon la Gaffeliere comes roaring out of the glass with exuberant notes of baked blackberries, blueberry compote and redcurrant jelly plus hints of forest floor, dried roses and cedar chest with a waft of fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic density with a firm frame of finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing with lingering layers of bright, energetic fruit. 2024 - 2054

97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (March 2020), March 2020

This is really excellent for the vintage with wonderful density of fruit in terms of plum liqueur and creme de cassis. The palate’s plush but velvety with round tannins and a long finish. Should drink fabulously when young. So generous but silky and dialed-in.

94/95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2018

Composed of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Canon la Gaffeliere contains a large part of second-generation fruit because 65% of the crop was affected by frost. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has pronounced crème de cassis, blueberry pie, red currants and red plums notes with touches of Chinese five spice, fragrant earth, tapenade and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with nice firm tannins giving a sturdy frame along with plenty of freshness supporting great mid-palate density, finishing long and earthy.

91/93+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (236), April 2018
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.