Château Canon Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2013

Extremely perfumed with cocoa powder, nuts and hints of cherries. Medium body, lovely density of fruit and a soft and silky finish. Savory. Delicious now.

Showing how Saint-Émilion came out well in 2013, this wine has ripe and juicy Merlot fruits topped with perfumed Cabernet Franc. Rich and structured, it's a wine for aging over the medium-term with its layers of tannins under the fruit. Drink from 2020.

The 2013 Canon has a light, crisp cedar and graphite tinged nose, perhaps Left Bank in style, muted at first but gently unfolding. It never lets go completely and you end up trying to eke out more by swirling your glass (to no avail!). The palate is well balanced with fleshy ripe fruit on the entry, structured but clipped and short on the finish, as if to say, "that's enough." It is a well made Canon, even if former winemaker John Kolasa oversaw many greater vintages of Château Canon during his tenure.

The 2013 Canon has a light, earthy nose that needs more fruit. This feels a little monotone compared to its peers. The palate is slightly bitter on the entry, with an ersatz sweetness on the mid-palate indicative of chaptalization. It pales against recent releases, and better Saint Emilions are out there. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting.