Canon

History of Château Canon

Château Canon takes its name from a fascinating character: Jacques Kanon, a privateer under the reign of Louis XV. In 1760, after accumulating wealth through his maritime adventures, Kanon purchased the Saint-Martin estate, where he erected a majestic mansion and developed vine cultivation. Visionary, he embarked on vine monoculture, a strategy still uncommon at the time. A few decades later, the property was renamed Château Canon by its new owner, Raymond Fontémoing, a Bordeaux wine merchant, who continued to build its reputation.

Château Canon then passed through several hands before being acquired by the Fournier family in 1919, who modernised the estate and increased its prestige. In 1996, a decisive turning point occurred when the famous Maison Chanel, led by the Wertheimer family, purchased the property. Since then, under the direction of visionary figures such as John Kolasa and, more recently, Nicolas Audebert, Château Canon has undergone a profound restructuring, both in terms of vineyards and infrastructure. Today, the estate embodies a perfect balance between tradition and innovation, much like the wines it produces.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Château Canon

Château Canon spans 34 hectares in a single block, atop the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion. This unique terroir is the true heart of the estate, offering the vines ideal conditions to produce wines of exceptional depth. The soil of the plateau is composed of asteriated limestone, a porous rock dotted with marine fossils such as shells, sea urchins and starfish. This stone has the ability to absorb water and slowly release it to the vines, allowing for slow and homogeneous ripening of the grapes, even during the driest years.

The vines also benefit from the clay faults that vein the limestone, providing freshness and structure to the wines. This unique combination of soils favours the development of the estate's flagship grape varieties: Merlot (75%) and Cabernet Franc (25%). The old vines, some dating back to the 1930s, yield highly concentrated fruit, while the new high-density plantings promise future great vintages. Thanks to this terroir, Château Canon manages to produce balanced wines, blending opulence and freshness, which improve with age.

Vinification at Château Canon

Vinification at Château Canon is a meticulous art, respectful of the terroir and traditions, while integrating modern techniques to optimise quality. The harvest is done by hand, plot by plot, when the grapes reach perfect ripeness. Each lot is thus carefully tracked to ensure precision in the work and ensure the best expression of the terroir in each bottle.

The grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled, double-walled stainless steel vats, with capacities ranging from 56 to 98 hectolitres to allow for plot-by-plot vinification. Malolactic fermentation takes place mainly in these vats, although a small proportion of the wine may be transferred to oak barrels. Ageing, lasting an average of 18 months, takes place in French oak barrels, 50 to 60% of which are new, giving the wines a silky texture and delicately woody aromas.

The plot-by-plot approach and the care given to each step of the process allow Château Canon to create wines of great precision, where the mineral freshness of the limestone marries perfectly with the richness of the fruits. The estate favours manual pumping over during fermentation, in order to remain in direct contact with the matter, thus ensuring optimal control of extraction and tannic structure.

The Cuvées of Château Canon

Château Canon produces two main cuvées, each embodying the unique style of the estate, while reflecting the subtleties of its terroir.

Château Canon - Premier Grand Cru Classé

The estate's flagship cuvée, Château Canon, is a wine of great elegance and impressive complexity. Merlot, the majority at 62%, brings an irresistible unctuousness and fruity richness, while Cabernet Franc (38%) structures the wine with its tension and freshness. The result is a complete wine, where the opulence of the fruit combines with a subtle minerality, signature of the limestone terroir.

Aromatic profile: Ripe black fruits, spices, liquorice, mineral notes.

On the palate: Amplitude, length, freshness, velvety tannins.

Best vintages: 2015, 2018, 2020.

Château Canon is particularly distinguished by its ageing potential. It is a wine that fully reveals itself after several years of ageing, gaining in complexity and depth.

Croix Canon - Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

The estate's second cuvée, Croix Canon, comes from the 11 hectares of vines located on the western slope of the plateau. While this cuvée benefits from the same attention and care as Château Canon, it expresses a slightly different character. Croix Canon is a more accessible wine in its youth, but still retains a good ageing potential.

Aromatic profile: Red and black fruits, spices, floral notes.

On the palate: Fleshy, dense, with a fresh and taut finish.

Croix Canon is an excellent choice for those seeking a Saint-Émilion wine with a powerful and elegant style, to be enjoyed sooner than its elder sibling.

Saint-Émilion, a jewel of the Bordeaux wine region, has produced vintages of exceptional quality over the years, delighting connoisseurs of fine wines. Among the legendary vintages, one can cite 1947, 1959, and 1961, true icons that have marked the history of Bordeaux wines. The famous 1982 remains an undisputable reference. The following decades were equally impressive, with remarkable vintages such as 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005, all acclaimed for their richness and ageing potential. More recently, the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020 vintages have shone through their balance and depth, reaffirming Saint-Émilion's reputation as one of Bordeaux's most sought-after appellations, where each new year continues to captivate fine wine enthusiasts with its consistent quality and elegance.

The classification of Saint-Émilion's Premiers Grands Crus Classés B, reviewed every 10 years, highlights exceptional châteaux from the Right Bank vineyard. Among those that continue to feature in this prestigious category are emblematic names such as Château Beau-Séjour Bécot, Château Beauséjour Héritiers Duffau Lagarrosse, Château Bélair-Monange, Château Canon, Château Pavie-Macquin, Château Troplong-Mondot, Château Trottevieille, and Clos Fourtet. Others, promoted in 2012, such as Château Canon-La-Gaffelière, Château Larcis-Ducasse, Château La Mondotte, and Château Valandraud, also illustrate the ever-increasing quality of the region's growths. However, some châteaux are no longer classified, such as La Gaffelière (since 2022) and Magdelaine (since 2006). This constant renewal ensures the excellence and evolution of the Saint-Émilion vineyard, where tradition and innovation blend harmoniously.

Château Canon is much more than just a wine estate. It is a place where history, terroir and expertise unite to produce exceptional wines. Under the aegis of Maison Chanel, and with Nicolas Audebert's vision, this Premier Grand Cru Classé continues to fascinate wine lovers around the world. Living limestone soils, respectful vinification methods, and cuvées of rare finesse: everything is in place to make Château Canon an essential name in Saint-Émilion.