CHATEAU CANON SAINT EMILION 750ML 2005

Tasted at the Château Canon vertical, the 2005 Canon is evolving into a quite gorgeous Saint Emilion. One can still discern those brown spices infiltrating the ripe red and black fruit. There is fine mineralité here, great focus, perhaps just a hint of dried blood that develops with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, ripe tannin. It is a very complex Saint Emilion with immense purity and style, a wine that you have to keep coming back to in order to understand. It's at that pivotal stage between primary and secondary notes, the red and black fruit being overtaken by cedar, morels and a touch of game. It gently lifts and fans out to a quite captivating finish. Dare I say that the 2005 Canon is the pick of the three over 2009 and 2010? There...I've said it...it is a quite brilliant wine. Tasted October 2015.

The 2005 Canon has a powerful, almost "thick" nose of tarry black fruit laced with liquorice and bergamot scents. It lacks a bit of delineation but has plenty of charm. The palate is medium-bodied with dense tannins and layers of liquorice-tinged black fruit, dried blood and ferrous elements. This appears to have gained some muscle, rendering it a "burly" Canon that might benefit from bottle age and/or a long decanting. Tasted at the château.