2023 Château Canon-La-Gaffelière, Grand Cru Classé St-Emilion

The 2023 Canon La Gaffelière is a powerful, dense wine. In recent years Canon La Gaffelière has been on the more perfumed side, but the 2023 moves in a direction of textural intensity. On the other hand, its balance is compelling. Dark red-toned fruit, pomegranate, spice, blood orange, mint and dried herbs open, but only with great reluctance. Tannins are present but also buried by the fruit.

The 2023 Canon La Gaffelière saw harvest between September 20 and 29, cropped at 35hL/ha with slightly more Cabernet Franc (45%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) than usual. Matured in 40% new oak, this sports an unashamedly floral bouquet with pressed iris and violet flowers that are integrated with the black fruit—incredibly precise. The palate is very well balanced with slightly chalky tannins (a leitmotif of von Neipperg's 2023s). It fans out gently on the finish, yet it maintains a sense of verticality that you don't usually see in this Saint-Émilion. This is excellent, but a bit more Left Bank in style this year.

Showing al-dente fruit with raspberries, orange peel and other hints of bitter citrus. Medium-bodied with creamy and medium, round tannins leading to a salty finish. Cabernet franc really showing through. A blend of 45% cabernet franc, 35% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon. May be better than 2022.

The 2023 Canon la Gaffelière offers up aromas of minty berries, plums, pencil shavings, dried herbs and bay leaf, followed by a medium to full-bodied, bright and crunchy palate underpinned by tangy acids and chalky tannins. It's a blend of 35% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.