2016 Chateau Canon la Gaffeliere - St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe

Decanter.com – 93 pts – JA: *Another successful wine in St-Émilion, with the signature of careful extraction. Well-brushed black fruits and a lovely push-and-pull effect between supple tannins, rich fruits and fresh acidity. Certified organic since the 2014 vintage.* - 04/2017

Falstaff Magazin - 95pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, fester Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, mit feiner Kräuterwürze unterlegte schwarze Beerenfrucht, ein Hauch von Lakritze, dezent nach Edelholz und Grafit, dunkler Nougat. Kernig, dunkle Kirschen, straffe, gut integrierte Tannine, gute Frische, mineralisch, Herzkirschen, extraktsüßer Nachhall, gutes Reifepotenzial.* - 05/2017

Vinum Magazin – 17/20pts: *Knackig, kompakt, gut strukturiert, mit Schliff, bleibt elegant trotz der Fülle, durch und durch erfreulich.* - 06/2019

Weinwisser - 19/20pts - GL: *55 % Merlot, 35 % Cabernet Franc, 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 60 % neue Barriques. Sattes Purpur mit violettem Rand. Was für ein berauschendes Parfüm nach Veilchen und Brombeeren, dahinter Anis, rosa Pfeffer, Schokonoten, Kokos sowie Lakritze. Am eleganten Gaumen mit enormem Tiefgang und atemberaubender Länge, im Nachhall mit schwarzen Johannisbeerdrops und Schattenmorellensaft. Für Stephan hat der Jahrgang 2016 die Dichte von 2009 und die Frische von 2014. Er überlegt kurz und fügt mit einem schelmischen Grinsen an: *Mir fällt gerade ein, dass man den 2016er am besten mit dem 2016 vergleichen sollte!**

JancisRobinson.com - 17/20pts - JR: *55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted blind. Not much nose but lots of mass. And tannins are still much in evidence but there is a certain sleekness. Inky finish and good drive.* - 01/2020

JamesSuckling.com - (95-96)pts - JS: *Lovely silky texture and dark fruit to this wine underlining richness and decadence. Medium to full body and a long finish.* - 04/2017

Vinous.com - (93-96)pts - AG: *The 2016 Canon La Gaffelière is a huge, voluptuous wine with no hard edges and exceptional balance. Often in the early going, the Merlot and Cabernet Franc elements are easily discernible, but in 2016 all the elements are wonderfully fused together. It will be interesting to see if this powerful wine finds a bit more finesse over time. The 2016 was even more impressive when I tasted separate components from barrel in January 2017. In 2016, the wine spent 30-32 days on the skins and will see approximately 60% new oak. Tasted three times.* - 04/2017
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Vinous.com – 96 pts - AG: *The 2016 Canon La Gaffelière is just as striking from bottle as it was from barrel. Bright, intensely aromatic and precise, the 2016 has it all. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange and rose petal all race through this silky, super-expressive Saint-Émilion. In 2016, Canon La Gaffelière is especially polished, refined and nuanced, which means also less overly powerful than in the past. It was compelling both times I tasted it from bottle.* Januar 2019

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - (93-95)pts - NM: *The 2016 Canon la Gaffeliere is a blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon (vines organically certified) picked from 26 September to 15 October and matured in 60% new oak. The yield is 42 hectoliters per hectare. This offers one of the most cerebral aromatics that I have encountered from this Saint Emilion estate: mineral-rich red and black fruit, quite edgy, almost flinty in style. I adore the focus of these aromas that are wired directly into the olfactory senses. The palate is very well balanced and governed by the Cabernet component. The black fruit is lifted by some lovely graphite notes that lend it a very Left Bank-like personality. It is fresh, taut and linear with a very persistent finish. Unlike other vintages of Canon la Gaffelière, I feel that this will require four to five years in bottle. As good as the 2015 last year, it might even surpass it.* - 04/2017
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Vinous.com - 94pts - NM: *The 2016 Canon La Gaffelière has an outstanding, very detailed and complex bouquet of cedar-tinged black fruit and touches of truffle, almost Graves-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet ripe tannin and rounded in the mouth. The new oak is quite conspicuous at the moment, though it should be fully assimilated with bottle age. This wine is driven by the Cabernet Franc, at one of the highest percentages in recent years, lending a great deal of freshness. Give this five or six years in bottle. A fabulous Canon-la-Gaffelière.* - 01/2019