Buy wines from Château Canon
The terroir of Canon is one of the best in the whole of Saint-Émilion and the estate is one of the most traditional and important. After extensive replanting, the quality has once again reached the top.
In 1760, a Bourgeois named Jacques Kanon began buying up land not far from the small town of Saint-Émilion to create a wine estate. In 1767, he also built the château, which still exists today and includes large underground cellars. The château was carefully restored and extended years ago. However, much more decisive for the quality of the wines were the new plantings, which were initiated by the long-standing estate manager John Kolasa and completed by his interim employee and later successor Nicolas Audebert.
Almost 50% of the vines had to be replaced on the 34 hectares of vineyards. As a result, the wines were less in the spotlight for around a decade. But that has changed again. Today, Canon, one of the "Grands Crus Classés B de Saint-Émilion", once again shows its class with an inimitable blend of grace and power, calm and depth, aromatic richness and ethereal notes.
The terroir on which the château's vineyards are located is quite homogeneous. It is essentially composed of solid limestone covered by around 0.25 to 0.7 metres of clay, with a more or less uniform exposure on the Saint-Émilion plateau. There is also a small parcel worked by horses in the town itself and another in the Côtes Berliquet.
Today, around 70% of the vineyard is planted with Merlot and 30% with Cabernet Franc. Another 70% goes into the first growth, and around 30% from vineyards that formerly belonged to the neighbouring Château Matras and were taken over go into the second wine called "Croix Canon". Nicolas Audebert, who managed the Terrazas de los Andes and Cheval des Andes wineries for many years before joining Canon in 2014, has created a wine style that favours finesse over power. Today, 50% of the "1er Grand Cru Classé" is matured in new wooden barrels.
Photos: © Château Canon