Region | |
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Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Canon la Gaffeliere
A sensational sleeper of the vintage, this modern-styled St.-Emilion boasts a dark purple color along with a beautiful bouquet of black olives, cherry jam, incense, spicy oak and black currants. Full-bodied, unctuously textured, lush, seductive and gloriously perfumed, this strikingly intense claret can be drunk now and over the next 12-15 years. Bravo!
Blackberry, black chocolate and licorice aromas follow through to a full body, with wonderful length and style. The 35 percent Cabernet Franc really comes through
Dark and dramatic-looking. Sweet, juicy fruit on the nose. Quite a fresh, aromatic attack. Comfortable and well balanced rather than exaggerated. Quite firm tannins on the finish. Great concentration but some fluidity too. Lovely frankness and freshness. Fresh, sinewy, good stuff!
One of the most consistently high quality offerings from both St.-Emilion and Bordeaux, proprietor Stefan von Neipperg, working with consultant Stephane Derenoncourt, always seems to deliver a beautifully opulent, complex claret that can be drunk young or cellared for 15+ years. I recently had the 1998 and 1990 and, although those two vintages are very different in style, both are classic Canon la Gaffelieres in their complexity, opulence, and richness. The 2008, a blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, exhibits a big, sweet nose of roasted herbs, sweet black currants and cherries, licorice, incense, and Christmas fruitcake. Deep, concentrated fruit, full-bodied opulence, beautiful purity, sweet tannins, and fresh acids give this wine a stunning precision as well as amazing depth (because of the low yields). It should drink well for 15+ years.
This has a fine, vibrant nose with brambly black fruits, a hint of sous-bois and liquorices. Good definition but tightly coiled. The palate is nicely balanced, quite chewy tannins and very linear towards the grainy black cherry and boysenberry finish. Classy, but not what you might describe as an explosive wine. Tasted April 2009