Château Canon

History of Château Canon

Château Canon takes its name from a fascinating figure: Jacques Kanon, a privateer during the reign of Louis XV. In 1760, after amassing wealth through his maritime adventures, Kanon purchased the estate of Saint-Martin, where he had a majestic residence built and developed viticulture. A visionary, he embarked on the monoculture of the vine, 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 renown.

Château Canon then passed through several hands before being acquired by the Fournier family in 1919, who modernized the estate and enhanced its prestige. In 1996, a decisive turning point occurred when the renowned 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 the vines and the infrastructure. Today, the estate embodies a perfect balance between tradition and innovation, in keeping with the wines it produces.

Terroirs and Vines of Château Canon

Château Canon spans 34 hectares in a single block, at the top of 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 plateau's soil is composed of astéries limestone, a porous rock interspersed with marine fossils such as shells, sea urchins, and starfish. This stone has the ability to absorb water and release it slowly to the vines, allowing for slow and uniform ripening of the grapes, even during the driest years.

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

Winemaking at Château Canon

Winemaking at Château Canon is a meticulous art, respectful of the terroir and traditions, while integrating modern techniques to optimize quality. The harvest is carried out by hand, parcel by parcel, when the grapes reach perfect maturity. Each lot is carefully tracked to guarantee the precision of the work and to ensure the finest expression of the terroir in every bottle.

The grapes are fermented in double-walled, temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with capacities ranging from 56 to 98 hectoliters to allow for parcel-by-parcel winemaking. Malolactic fermentation takes place primarily in these vats, although a small proportion of the wine may undergo fermentation in oak barrels. Aging, lasting an average of 18 months, takes place in French oak barrels of which 50 to 60% are new, imparting a silky texture and delicately oaked aromas to the wines.

The parcel-by-parcel approach and the care devoted to each stage 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 fruit. The estate favors manual pumping-over during fermentation in order to remain in direct contact with the material, thereby ensuring optimal control of extraction and tannic structure.

The Cuvées of Château Canon

Château Canon produces two main cuvées, each embodying the estate's unique style 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 dominant variety at 62%, brings an irresistible unctuousness and fruit richness, while Cabernet Franc (38%) structures the wine with its tension and freshness. The result is a complete wine in which the opulence of the fruit combines with a subtle minerality, the signature of the limestone terroir. 

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

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

Best vintages: 2015, 2018, 2020.

Château Canon is particularly distinguished by its aging potential. It is a wine that reveals itself fully after several years of cellaring, 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 approachable wine in its youth, yet retains a fine aging potential nonetheless.

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.

Saint-Émilion, jewel of the wine region of Bordeaux, has produced over the years vintages of exceptional quality, delighting lovers of great 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 also remains an undisputed reference. The following decades were no less remarkable, with outstanding vintages such as 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005, all acclaimed for their richness and aging potential. More recently, the vintages 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020 have shone for 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 lovers of great wines with its consistent quality and elegance.

The classification of Premiers Grands Crus Classés B of Saint-Émilion, revised every 10 years, highlights exceptional estates from the right bank vineyard. Among those who continue to feature in this prestigious category, one finds iconic 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-rising quality of the region's wines. On the other hand, certain estates are no longer classified, such as La Gaffelière (since 2022) and Magdelaine (since 2006). This constant renewal guarantees the excellence and evolution of the Saint-Émilion vineyard, where tradition and innovation blend harmoniously.

Château Canon is far more than a simple wine estate. It is a place where history, terroir, and expertise come together to produce exceptional wines. Under the aegis of Maison Chanel, and with the vision of Nicolas Audebert, this Premier Grand Cru Classé continues to captivate wine lovers the world over. Vibrant limestone soils, respectful winemaking methods, and cuvées of rare finesse: everything is in place to make Château Canon an essential name in Saint-Émilion.