Canon 2018

97+ points - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, March 2021 A blend of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Canon has a pH of 3.69 and 14% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it tumbles effortlessly out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of candied violets, preserved plums, black cherry compote and Ceylon tea with hints of kirsch, powdered cinnamon, chocolate box and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with juicy black fruit layers, supported by plush, oh-so-soft tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing long and fragrant. “Everybody got mildew this year. Everybody,” Nicolas Audebert, Technical Director for Château Canon (and Rauzan-Ségla), told me. “We had mildew problems like any other estate. But when Château Canon was bought 20 years ago, it needed replanting. That has all been done now and it is very healthy. Here, there are no sick or dying vines—everything is producing. If we wanted to, we could get 100 hectoliters per hectare in a normal year! We got 42 hectoliters per hectare here this year. This year, we dropped all the bunches affected by the mildew.” I don’t need to tell followers of this estate that Château Canon is on an upward trajectory. The level of intensity achieved this year is truly impressive. Audebert agreed with my reference to this point. “The level of density this year is probably higher than we have ever had," he said. "In my point of view, the best tanks of the year were Merlot, even at Rauzan. The density of the fruit was incredible.” When I asked him about how he maintained such freshness among all that richness of the 2018 Canon and its neighbors, Croix Canon and Berliquet, he replied, “The type of soil we have, it is quite easy to get freshness. It is something extremely important to us; we want ripeness and maturity but we also always want vibrancy and freshness.” The soil he refers to is the coveted clay and limestone of Saint-Émilion’s plateau, which has produced some of the greatest wines of this vintage. In 2018, the Merlot came in between September 7 and 27, and Cabernet Franc was harvested October 2-5. The harvest started and finished at Canon with Croix Canon and Berliquet in between. Audebert’s strategy was to pick some fruit fresh and bright and harvest other fruit at the riper end. Sound strategy, impressive results. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown