2020 Clos Canon

The 2020 Croix Canon has a classy, well-defined bouquet with mineral-driven black fruit and good concentration, but it doesn't try to impose itself too strongly. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and ripe with saturated tannins. It leans more toward the opulent style of Right Bank Bordeaux on the finish but just about manages to pull it off because it retains its freshness. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

The 2020 Croix Canon has turned out magnificently, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, dark berries, raw cocoa and crushed vitamin pills. Medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy, it's layered, seamless and suave, with a succulent core of fruit, sweet tannins and an impressively persistent finish. While it's approachable today, it's built to age with grace.

Dried flowers, black raspberries, kirsch, licorice, citrus rind and spice create the gorgeous nose. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine is even better with its showy display of fresh, silky, red plums, cherries and supple-textured, elegant finish, with just a hint of salty rocks that comes in at the very end of the finish. Drink from 2023-2037.