2012 Canon la Gaffeliere
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Tasting notes
Ripe but not jammy with intense spice on the nose. Plenty of concentration but fruit is hiding beneath the oak at the moment. FINE+RARE
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
FINE+RARE
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Canon-la-Gaffelière has a higher toned nose than its peers, a little fresher than the 2012 Péby-Faugères with a light estuarine scent emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied and quite fleshy, savoury in style with a pretty black pepper-tinged finish. However, this fades in the glass and is perhaps not my favourite vintage in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.
Tasted blind. Some evolution at the rim. Light nose. Juicy fruit but overall a bit dull. Where’s the flavour? One gets the impression that the winemaking here was rather a box-ticking exercise. Sudden finish. (JR)
The 2012 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere is an elegant, floral, and spice-driven Saint-Emilion offering full-bodied richness, fine, silky tannin and impeccable balance. It’s one of the more classic, elegant 2012s that’s going to benefit from another few years of cellaring and have two decades of overall longevity.
About the producer
Owned by the Von Niepperg family (along with one of the original garage wines, La Mondotte), Ch. Canon-la-Gaffelière is known for its opulent, plush style of Saint-Emilion and high percentage of Cabernet.