2012 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière

The 2012 Canon-la-Gaffelière has a higher toned nose than its peers, a little fresher than the 2012 Péby-Faugères with a light estuarine scent emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied and quite fleshy, savoury in style with a pretty black pepper-tinged finish. However, this fades in the glass and is perhaps not my favourite vintage in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.

Tasted blind. Some evolution at the rim. Light nose. Juicy fruit but overall a bit dull. Where’s the flavour? One gets the impression that the winemaking here was rather a box-ticking exercise. Sudden finish. (JR)

The 2012 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere is an elegant, floral, and spice-driven Saint-Emilion offering full-bodied richness, fine, silky tannin and impeccable balance. It’s one of the more classic, elegant 2012s that’s going to benefit from another few years of cellaring and have two decades of overall longevity.