Château Canon

History of Château Canon

Château Canon takes its name from a fascinating figure: Jacques Kanon, a privateer under the reign of Louis XV. In 1760, having accumulated wealth through his maritime adventures, Kanon purchased the domaine de Saint-Martin, where he had a majestic residence built and developed the cultivation of the vine. A visionary, he embarked on 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 modernised the estate and enhanced its prestige. In 1996, a decisive turning point occurred when the celebrated 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 extends over 34 hectares in a single block, at the summit 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 dotted with marine fossils such as shells, sea urchins, and starfish. This stone has the capacity to absorb water and slowly release it to the vines, allowing a 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 well-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 incorporating modern techniques to optimise quality. The harvest is carried out by hand, parcel by parcel, when the grapes reach perfect ripeness. Each lot is thus carefully tracked to guarantee the precision of the work and ensure the finest expression of the terroir in every bottle.

The grapes are fermented in double-walled, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with capacities ranging from 56 to 98 hectolitres to allow parcel-by-parcel winemaking. Malolactic fermentation takes place mainly in these tanks, although a small proportion of the wine may undergo barrel fermentation in oak casks. The ageing, lasting an average of 18 months, takes place in French oak barrels, of which 50 to 60% are new, lending the wines a silky texture and delicately oaky aromas.

The parcel-by-parcel approach and the care taken at every 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 favours manual pumping-over during fermentation, in order to maintain 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, dominant at 62%, brings an irresistible unctuousness and fruity richness, while Cabernet Franc (38%) structures the wine with its tension and freshness. The result is a complete wine, where the opulence of the fruit combines with a subtle minerality, the signature of the limestone terroir. 

Aromatic profile: ripe black fruits, spices, liquorice, mineral notes.

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

Best vintages: 2015, 2018, 2020.

Château Canon stands out particularly for its ageing 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 nevertheless retains a fine ageing potential.

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 more readily than its elder.

Saint-Émilion, a jewel of the Bordeaux wine region, 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 celebrated 1982 remains an undisputed reference. The following decades were no exception, with remarkable vintages such as 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005, all acclaimed for their richness and ageing 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 the most sought-after appellations in Bordeaux, 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, reviewed every 10 years, highlights exceptional châteaux from the right bank vineyard. Among those that 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 crus. On the other hand, some châteaux 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. Living limestone soils, respectful winemaking methods, and cuvées of rare finesse: everything is in place to make Château Canon an essential name in Saint-Émilion.