Château Canon La Gaffelière 2018

Fantastic depth and richness to the nose with plums, mushrooms, bark and some mahogany. Full-bodied, tight and focused with very fine tannins and a long, creamy finish. Lovely polish, balance and clarity. Drink after 2025.

Dense garnet red. Juvenile bouquet, marked by the freshness of red berries. With a little aeration, it reveals chalky notes as well as nuances of thyme and violets. Pleasant freshness in attack. The wine has body, finesse and temperament. A sort of compromise between grandeur and tenacity, between fervor and elegance. A brilliant wine of precision. 2026-2043

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Canon la Gaffeliere out of the gate delivers a seductive nose of plum preserves, kirsch and Black Forest cake with nuances of lilacs, underbrush, Indian spices and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is filled with black fruit preserves and loads of spicy accents, supported by chewy tannins and well-balanced freshness, finishing long and savory. -Lisa Perrotti-Brown

This has the clear edge over La Mondotte for me because it combines the polish and glamor of a St-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé with the salt taffy tang of limestone. Still a silky texture but a more attractive slate edge coming in on the finish to temper the sweet fruit and slow things down. A highly impressive wine. The harvest ran from 19 September to 4 October, with a yield of 35hl/ha. 50% new oak. Certified organic. -Jane Anson