Château Canon: Through the Years
The Wertheimer brothers acquired Château Canon in 1996, two years after they had purchased Château Rauzan-Ségla. It was an estate that enjoyed a fine position, next to the Église St Martin on the edge of the town of St Emilion, but it was also an estate riddled with problems. It is never possible to rip out and start again, but in reality that was what was required here, with both vineyard and cellar requiring major overhaul. A solution would have to be found. This came in 2000, when the neighbouring vineyard of Château Curé Bon was acquired. This added another 4 hectares of vineyard to Château Canon, guaranteeing a supply of fruit while the Canon vineyards were replanted. It is at this point that the story of Château Canon begins to tie in with my latest tasting notes (presented at the end of this report), which begin with the 2000 vintage.
The 2000 vintage was broadly successful across Bordeaux. Here at Château Canon there were 22 hectares all in production (it had risen from 18 hectares with the addition of the 4 hectares from Curé Bon) planted with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc (and presumably, looking at the harvest reports, a little Cabernet Sauvignon as well). It was a September harvest, from the 22nd to the 27th for the Merlot, 28th and 30th for the Cabernet Franc and 28th and 29th for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The vinification reads as fairly standard, with temperature control to 28-30ºC, a maceration lasting for up to 25 days, and an élevage in 55% new oak. The 2000 Château Canon, 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, shows the fresh concentration that I find so appealing in the vintage and, to my palate, it shows even if the vines and cellars had their problems, the terroir was still capable of turning out a great wine.
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