critic reviews
The 2023 Canon-La-Gaffelière showed well from barrel. Now in bottle, this has an elegant bouquet with brambly red berry fruit, sous-bois, touches of tobacco and a light cedar scent. The palate is medium-bodied with a little chewiness on the entry though that should be remedied with bottle age. What it needs to conjure is more complexity in the middle. The 2023 does not kick on like a delicious 2009 had done the previous week. Perhaps I was expecting a little more from this fine address?
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Canon la Gaffeliere pops from the glass with exuberant notes of fresh black and red currants, kirsch, and wild blueberries followed by hints of pencil shavings, violets, and mossy tree bark. The elegantly styled, medium-bodied palate is tightly wound and refreshing, with firm fine-grained tannins and bright crunchy red and black berry flavors, finishing long and minerally. The blend is 45% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Intense ruby colour, satiny texture with a reassuring correction of salted cracker to give balance to the exuberant raspberry fruits. Lifts not just on the finish but from the first moments, stretching out with a kick of slate and crushed rocks. Sleek and burnished. 75% in oak barrels for ageing (40% new) on the lees. 25% in vats. 35hl/ha.
The 2023 Canon la Gaffeliere offers up aromas of minty berries, plums, pencil shavings, dried herbs and bay leaf, followed by a medium to full-bodied, bright and crunchy palate underpinned by tangy acids and chalky tannins. It's a blend of 35% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.