Chateau Canon la Gaffeliere   Chateau Canon la Gaffeliere

2012 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere

By Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere

2012 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere from Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux

In the pantheon of Saint-Emilion's prestigious offerings, the 2012 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere from Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere holds a luminary position. This particular vintage tantalises with its intricate blend of refined structure and aromatic intensity—a testament to a year that presented challenges triumphantly overcome by adroit craftsmanship.

 

A Vintage Defined by Adversity and Triumph

The growing season of 2012 was one fraught with climatic caprices, demanding unerring vigilance from Bordeaux's vignerons. Grappling with dichotomous weather patterns that swept across Europe, Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere executed a virtuoso performance of precision vineyard management, ensuring their grapes reached the apogee of maturity.

Sip the 2012 vintage, and you are met with an opulent collage of Merlot (55%), Cabernet Franc (35%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) that encapsulates the unique terroir of Saint-Emilion. The palate is seduced by a symphony of ripe blackberries, plums, and a contour of spice that speaks eloquently of the year's late sun-drenched days.

 

Investment Potential as Rich as Its Bouquet

As conspicuous in its investment allure as it is on the palate, this wine is underpinned by an advantageous combination: limited availability due to restrained yields and a fervent demand among connoisseurs. The 2012 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere stands not only as a triumph over the whims of Mother Nature but as a savvy addition to any discerning investor’s portfolio.

Laying down a bottle in one's cellar promises a journey through nuance and evolution; the vintage’s current drinking window only hints at the transformative potential held within its ruby depths. With time's passage, truffles and leather notes will emerge to rendezvous with the already luscious fruit.

The 2012 vintage encapsulates more than mere taste; it is an embodiment of resilience—an extraordinary translation of Saint-Emilion’s complex canvas into liquid artistry.

Current market price

£680.00

12x75cl

Highest score

93

POP score

52.31

Scores and tasting notes

93

Proprietor Comtes von Neipperg has done an incredible job with this estate, turning things around from a vegetal, diluted and undernourished wine in the 1970s and 1980s to something that has gotten stronger and strong ever since 1988. The dense ruby/purple 2012 offers pure blackcurrant and black cherry fruit along with some notes of Christmas spices and earth. It is full-bodied and opulent, with light tannins in the finish. This is a beauty of impeccable balance, great purity and texture. Kudos to von Neipperg, who rarely ever seems to make a mistake. Anticipated maturity: now-2030. The final blend tips the scales at 13.5% from an equal-part blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 29 April 2015

Vintage performance