2015 Canon, St-Emilion

SKU #1369579 100 points James Suckling

Seductive. The nose draws you in deep: It’s like staring into a well of pristine dark cherries, dark plums, blackberries and mulberries. All the oak is perfectly subsumed. The palate’s flawless with immense depth and power and it’s so balanced as to appear to float. Immaculate fresh dark-berry and plum flavors. Silky and deep, ribbon-like finish. Perfect. (2/2018)

100 points Vinous

From the very beginning, the 2015 Canon has made an eloquent case for itself as one of the wines of the vintage. Multiple tastings from bottle only confirm what several early tastings hinted at: the 2015 Canon is simply extraordinary in every way. Sumptuous and exotic, with no hard edges and exceptional balance, the 2015 grabs hold of all the senses and never lets up. A rush of red fruit intermingled with floral notes, spice and smoke notes effortlessly runs up the wine's vertical structure as the 2015 thrills with every twist and turn. The 2015 Canon is a rare wine that is both hedonistic and intellectual - well, maybe it is a bit more hedonistic-leaning. It doesn't matter. Don't miss it. This 2015 is masterpiece from General Manager Nicolas Auderbert and his team at Canon. (AG) (12/2017)

98 points Jeb Dunnuck

One of the wines of the vintage is the 2015 Château Canon which is 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in 70% new French oak. It offers a perfect example of the old saying “iron fist in a velvet glove” and boasts gorgeous notes of black cherries, framboise, spring flowers and exotic spices. All these lead to a full-bodied, ultra-pure, seamless 2015 that marries incredible richness and depth with a sense of purity, elegance, and weightlessness that needs to be tasted to believed. Bravo! (JD) 98+ (11/2017)

97 points Jane Anson

This is an opulent, powerful vintage with all the fruit flavours that go with it - ripe plum, damson, black cherry and raspberry, generously textured. Just a gorgeous wine that is starting to show more subtle violet, peony, sate and campfire smoke notes but they need to be coaxed out of the glass right now. A ton of future ahead, there is no question as to quality but it has really closed down, so I would strongly suggest waiting for another 5 years, or carafe for 5 hours. Here the alcohols are higher than in the other vintages of the lineup but there is no sense of heat on the close of play. Nicolas Audebert's first full vintage. 42hl/hyield, 70% new oak, 3.78ph, a long relaxed harvest from September 14 to October 4. (7/2021)

97 points Wine Enthusiast

This estate, now performing on top form, has produced a rich, dense wine. Swathes of black fruits underline the generous structure and intensity. At first taste, the tannins are soft but that turns out to be an illusion. The tannins are just richly cushioned within the beautiful fruit. *Cellar Selection* (RV) (2/2018)

97 points Wine Spectator

A plush, inviting style, with warmed fig and plum sauce notes taking the lead, picking up swaths of cocoa, tobacco and roasted alder along the way. Features plenty of pumping bass, but if you pay attention, there's a laser of chalky minerality driving the finish. When the baby flesh drops away, this will sail in the cellar for some time. *Collectible* (JM) (3/2018)

96 points Decanter

This is very polished and full of interest; Canon 2015 has a nose of coffee and spices, with a leafy edge. Sweet, rich and full-bodied on the palate there is a wonderful freshness of crunchy red fruit here. It’s packed with tannins and subtle oak with the cool, leafy Cabernet Franc notes balancing the sweet, dark fruit characters. This has a very long-life ahead. A breakthrough year for Canon and highly rated by the market. (AH) (11/2019)

96 points Wine Advocate

Composed of 72% Merlot and 28% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old barrels, the 2015 Canon is boldly fruited with blackberry preserves, black cherry compote, fruitcake, mocha and plum preserves with suggestions of Indian spices, licorice and black olives. Full-bodied and packed with ripe, rich dried berries and exotic spice layers, it has a firm, slightly chewy structure and just enough freshness (the pH is 3.78), finishing long and savory. Give it another 2-3 years of cellaring to soften its edges and allow its flavor spectrum to fully emerge, and drink it over the next 20 to 25+ years. (LPB) (2/2018)

96 points The Wine Independent

Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2015 Canon slowly expands on the nose to reveal notes of plum preserves, black cherry compote, and blackberry pie, plus hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, and licorice. Big, concentrated, and full-bodied, the palate has very firm, chewy tannins and soft acidity supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and earthy. (11/2022)

K&L Notes

97+ points Neal Martin - Vinous: "The 2015 Canon has a tightly wound bouquet with mineral rich black fruit, raspberry coulis, rose petal and desiccated orange peel. It takes time to come together, but it does. The palate is well defined, very focused with fine minerality. This is discreet but beautifully balanced, clean and precise with a sense of energy and precision on the finish. It is less showy than its peers at the moment, which explains why I am more parsimonious with my score. Yet the potential is locked inside this wine and it will aspire toward perfection with a decade in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting." (07/2019)