2009 Canon-La-Gaffelière, St-Emilion (Pre-Arrival)
SKU #1055050
97
points
James Suckling
Porcini mushrooms, with dark and ripe fruits. Turns to licorice and violets. Full body, with round and soft tannins and a long delicious finish. The texture is gorgeous. So much going on in the glass. Try after 2018.
(2/ 2012)
96
points
Wine Spectator
*Top 100 Wines of 2012* This 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 finish sports a long, melted licorice snap feel. Dense, but beautifully polished and pure. For the cellar. Best from 2015 through 2030.
(3/ 2012)
95
points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An 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. This has been one of my favorite St.-Emilions since the late 1980s, when proprietor Stefan Neipperg began to resurrect this once moribund estate that made so many mediocre wines in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s (the 1982 was shameful). It is one of hundreds of examples of properties that have been returned to life, providing Bordeaux with greater quality, diversity and recognition than it has ever had in its long history.
(2/ 2012)
95
points
Wine Enthusiast
*Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2012* One 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.
(2/ 2012)
92
points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Bright ruby-red. Jammy, exotic aromas of black raspberry and smoke; wild and slightly high-toned in a syrah way. Dense, sweet and layered, with lovely saline complexity to the ripe black raspberry flavor. Finishes sweet, plush and very long, with smooth tannins and plenty of early sex appeal.
(7/ 2012)
K&L Notes
*1/2+ 55% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fine structure, with great mid-palate impression. Very round tannins and a long finish. Solid. Futures item. Wine will arrive late 2011 to 2013. You will be contacted for delivery instructions.