Bordeaux Wines

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The fruit is full and juicy, with beautiful round tannins. Nice dark fruits on the palate and on the nose, with tropical, almost mango undertones. The finish is wonderful, with it’s creamy luscious tannins. No need to wait any longer on this.James Suckling | 93 JSSanguine, tobacco leaf and singed cedar notes lead off, followed by damson plum and red currant fruit that has moved into a secondary phase. Pretty and accessible, this should hold for a bit.—Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2025. 3,755 cases made. — JMWine Spectator | 91 WSLots of Asian soy, licorice and Christmas fruitcake notes intermingled with notions of red and black fruits and spice box emerge from this dark plum/garnet-colored (with just a bit of pink at the edge), medium to full-bodied, opulent, round, juicy, hedonistic 2003. Enjoy it over the next 4-5 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP

An intensely flavored wine, which still keeps elegance, ripe tannins and sweet, fresh acidity as its core. This will develop well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA brilliant achievement for proprietor Stefan von Neipperg, this blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits an exuberant, cedary bouquet revealing scents of espresso roast, chocolate, pain grille, and sweet red and black fruits. Opulent and fleshy for a 2004, this sexy beauty offers plenty of purity, symmetry, and sweet tannin. It will provide enjoyment over the next 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 91 RPGood deep ruby-red. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, coffee, chocolate, minerals and spices. Suave and fine-grained, with lovely lift and inner-mouth perfume to the flavors of dark fruits, minerals and flowers. Here, too, the wine’s 45% cabernet franc component is apparent. An essentially sweet, gentle wine that finishes with lush, fine-grained tannins and excellent length.Vinous Media | 91 VMShows subtle yet focused aromas of forest fruits and flowers. Full-bodied, with fine tannins, lovely length and a focused berry, cherry and blackberry finish. I like the pure fruit and finesse. Best after 2011. 4,580 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

This fragrant, lush, seductive wine offers up plum, Christmas spices and crème de cassis. This dense garnet/purple wine also has loads of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, terrific aromatics, a full-bodied mouthfeel, beautiful purity, texture, and a long, long finish. Once again, the Comte von Neipperg and his winemaking consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt have hit a home run in this vintage. This beauty is approachable, if not drinkable already, and should continue to evolve for 10-15 years.Robert Parker | 94 RPThe mix of loganberry, black currant and black cherry fruit has begun to shift into a secondary phase here, but there is still ample vibrancy, with a racy mineral streak and lively anise, apple wood and floral notes. The long, refined finish is still a touch tight. On the verge of hitting its stride.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2020 through 2035. 5,750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA successful wine from Canon la Gaffelière. It is in a modern style with very polished edges of fruit, but the heart of the wine has a core of solid, dark, dry tannins. The wood gives spiciness, but it is the black, juicy fruits that impress.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEMedium red. Reticent aromas of red fruits, coffee, roasted meat and mocha; a bit low-toned today. Superripe, sweet and densely packed; large-scaled for a wine from this property but quite closed today, hinting at an almost roasted ripeness. Atypically deep cabernet franc here. Finishes with broad tannins and lovely floral lift, leaving behind a captivating violet perfume in the empty glass. Very unevolved wine, in need of a decade of patience and likely to merit a higher score at its peak.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGClosed off behind the flash of new oak and the earthiness of its tannins, this takes several days to emerge. When it does, there’s plump, juicy Merlot fruit to match the earthiness. And though it has the headiness of the vintage, it also has a cool restraint. Check on this in ten years; it should live long and well.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&S

The freshness on the nose is striking and you could easily mistake this for a 4-5 year old wine. Ripe elderberry and wild blackberry notes are married to elegant tannins and a lively acidity, making this leap and bound across the palate. Long mineral finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019)James Suckling | 96 JSThis is well-cloaked for now in roasted vanilla and espresso notes, but there’s ample, fleshy fig sauce and mulled blackberry fruit in reserve. The long finish sports a melted licorice snap feel. Dense, but beautifully polished and pure. For the cellar. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2015 through 2030. 5,140 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WSAn intriguing blend of nearly 50% Merlot, a whopping 35% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon (a somewhat unusual combination for this region), the 2009 reminds me of the 1990. A big, inky/purple-tinged wine with just over 14% natural alcohol, it exhibits exotic, flamboyant aromas of espresso roast, incense, sweet black cherries, black currants, licorice, asphalt, barbecue smoke, Christmas fruitcake and herbs. Full-bodied with silky tannins, luscious fruit, a hedonistic yet complex personality, low acidity, noticeable tannin and enviable purity, this head-turning beauty can be enjoyed over the next 15-20 years.Robert Parker | 95 RPOne of the peculiarities of St.-Émilion’s classification is that Canon la Gaffelière is not classed in the top rung. Because, as this wine shows, it produces superb wines. This is ripe while so elegant, with great intensity and sweet perfumes.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2009 Canon-la-Gaffelière has a very attractive bouquet with truffle and smoke infused black fruit, hints of roasted chestnut, secondary aromas beginning to come through nicely. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, very well balanced with hints of black toast and white pepper filtering through. This is well defined and more persistent than some of its peers, likewise it has become more classic in style in recent years. Superb. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ annual Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMCanon-la-Gaffelière has clay-limestone and sandy-clay soils that are well drained and early-ripening, and in a generous year like 2009 they provide a clear route to the kind of fleshy ripe fruits on display here. This has nicely handled damson and blackberry jam notes with gourmet patisserie cream and baking chocolate touches, but it shows welcome restraint on the long finish. The quick tannic build up through the palate makes an impression, but they have a lovely soft quality that make them extremely pleasurable. Lots to enjoy. Drinking Window 2019 - 2038Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2021 Canon-La-Gaffelière is gorgeous, but it is also very closed today. I view that as a positive for its long-term prospects, but readers need to be patient here. The 2021 is a super-classic Canon-La-Gaffelière redolent of strong floral and mineral accents. Its energy and sheer breeding are truly remarkable. I can’t wait to taste it with bottle age. Bright saline notes extend the long, beautifully persistent finish. The 2021 was aged 40% in new oak, 20% in tank and the remainder in used oak and 400-liter barrels. This really pulses with energy.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2021 Canon la Gaffelière is beautiful, bursting from the glass with aromas of rose petals, lilac, sweet berry fruit, burning embers and warm spices. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with a fleshy core of fruit, lively acids and beautifully refined tannins, it’s the highlight of the von Neipperg portfolio this year. Cabernet Franc, as usual, takes the lead.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-95 RPOne of the gems out there, the 2021 Château Canon-La-Gaffelière is well worth seeking out. Giving up ample blue fruits, medium to full-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and complex, pure aromatics of violets, iron, and tobacco, it shines for its balance and elegance while bring terrific depth of fruit. Count me impressed.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDThis has a gorgeous herbal-fruity nose, scented, fresh and lively with raspberry leaf. Impactful on the palate straight away - the fine-grained tannins hit the mouth and expand slowly alongside the liquorice spice and dark berry fruit with violet aromas. It’s direct and linear at the moment, taut, and driven in one line. You feel it’s coiled up ready to spring with strawberry fruit and the Cabernet aspects coming through. It’s delicately textured, the mouthfeel is light and bouncy while the flavours slowly expand vertically. Touches of sweetness, bitterness and minerality appear adding interest from start to finish. I love the clarity you get. Impactful and full of complexity. Will be lovely to taste this in bottle. 5% more Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon than usual as some Merlot was lost to frost and mildew. A production of 98% grand vin.Decanter | 95 DECLovely, perfumed character with cherries, spices and flowers. Medium-bodied, firm and polished with solid tannins and a fresh finish. Pure. Light coffee and walnut. Well crafted.James Suckling | 94-95 JSThe 2021 Canon la Gaffeliere is a blend of 45% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in 40% new oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it sashays out of the glass with a lovely perfume of violets, Sichuan pepper and dried herbs, leading to a core of redcurrant jelly, cassis, and stewed red plums. The light to medium-bodied palate is delicately played, with a light chew of tannins and soft-spoken fruit, finishing savory.The Wine Independent | 91-93 TWIShows gently mulled plum and blackberry fruit flavors that have good flesh and energy, while savory and sous-bois accents peek in throughout. Maintains enough juiciness through the finish too, letting the fruit play out in an unencumbered manner. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2035. 4,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS