Château Canon 2025

Château Canon sits on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux, a 1er Grand Cru estate acquired in the 18th century by the privateer Jacques Kanon and now owned by Chanel. Its vineyards lie on a thin layer of clay over the deep limestone that defines Saint-Émilion, with cellars cut into the rock below. Limestone retains water through dry summers and lends the wine freshness, length and a firm mineral spine, while the clay topsoil adds flesh. Merlot leads the blend, with Cabernet Franc bringing perfume and structure, and the estate works under respectful farming. The 2025 ages 18 months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange through the wood rounds the tannins, fixes colour and adds cedar and spice that frame the fruit. The wine is deep red, with an intricate nose of ripe cherry, raspberry and plum over exotic spice, liquorice and crushed pepper. The palate is structured and fresh, the limestone carrying a saline, mineral line through ripe firm tannins to a long finish. This is a wine to cellar, or to decant well ahead when young. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees with roast beef, lamb or game.