1947 Canon

Tasted at the Château Canon vertical, the 1947 Canon was corked and indeed, I have since found out that this was a serious problem that afflicted many bottles of this wine (cf. my previous note from 2007). A second bottle was called for. It has a deep color, not far from the 1964 with a thin tawny rim. Fortunately here the nose was not tainted and delivers a captivating small armada of scents: dried redcurrant, Christmas cake, dried fig, fresh mint and rosemary—probably one of the most complex aromatics that I have found on the 1947. The palate is medium-bodied with bitter cherry and a touch of soy on the entry. Stylistically it is actually more like a 1949. It has a fine backbone, less fleshy and corpulent than its peers and feels more masculine. But there is also great depth here and residual energy, fanning out gently with notes of leather, sage and dried blood, almost ferrous and Pomerol-like on the finish. If you are lucky and escape the dreaded TCA-affected batch of bottles, you are in for a treat, although do not decant this wine as it does fade in the glass. Tasted October 2015.