2025 Canon la Gaffeliere
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2025 Canon La Gaffelière includes only 40% Merlot this year, the remainder, 45% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between September 16 and 19. Matured in 30% new oak barrels, this has a tightly wound nose with blackberry, briar and chalky scents, the Cabernet Franc imparting light graphite scents. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry. licorice-tinged black fruit, again, a little chalky in texture, but there is more suppleness compared to the Clos de l'Oratoire on the finish. Promising.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A lighter, more herbal-styled wine based on 40% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2025 Château Canon-La-Gaffelière offers juicy red fruits, sappy flowers, graphite, tobacco, and a kiss of minerality on the nose. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, with fine, polished tannins and a good finish. It's a more Cabernet-dominated effort from this château, and while I'd love to see a touch more generosity here, it's beautifully balanced, and I suspect it will gain volume over the course of its élevage.
The 2025 Canon La Gaffelière is bright and beautifully focused right out of the gate. Orange peel, sage, mint, pipe tobacco, dried flowers and mocha soar out of the glass. Floral aromatics and brisk saline notes are the signatures in a tightly wound Canon La Gaffelière that is going to need a number of years to be at its most expressive. I especially admire the energy here.
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.