Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere 2010

ANTONIO GALLONI: "Good bright ruby-red. Expressive aromas of black raspberry, cassis, licorice, caramel and smoky oak are complicated by leather and game nuances. Large-scaled, rich and sweet but with harmonious acidity giving shape to the broad black and blue fruit flavors. Finishes rich and long, with surprising lift and plush, sweet tannins that reach the incisors. This is pure and balanced from the start and should age gracefully for a couple decades."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarter Wasserrand. Feiner Nougat, reife dunkle Beerenfrucht, angenehmer Edelholztouch, facettenreiches Bukett, floraler Touch. Komplex, saftig, frisch strukturiert, feine Tannine, bleibt gut haften, Kirschen im Nachhall, sehr gute Länge, mineralisch, ein sicheres Zukunftsversprechen."

JAMES SUCKLING: "This is tight and powerful. Solid frame of fruit and tannins. Curious about this. Like the 2009. This is 40% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Dark crimson and an evolved rim. Good life and freshness. Real energy even if not the densest or ripest. Super refreshing. Quite sinewy – certainly not fat – with tannins very well covered and good persistence."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Earth, flowers, chocolate mint, plum, vanilla and coffee notes open to a rich, expansive, lush, fresh, structured wine. There is a nice sense of purity to the spicy, silky plum and blackberries sensed in the opulently, textured finish."

THE WINEADVOCATE: "Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Canon la Gaffeliere delivers classic plum preserves, boysenberries and cigar box scents with wafts of underbrush, dried roses and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house with a solid line of grainy tannins and racy freshness supporting the dense fruit, finishing with compelling purity and great length."

WEINWISSER: "Auffallend helle Farbe, Granat mit rubinrotem Rand. Florales Bouquet, Blattnoten, sogar ein Hauch Geraniol, Tabaknuancen. Im Gaumen saftig und erstaunlich weich, mittlerer Körper, Kokosnoten und Damaszenerpflaumen."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "A beautifully structured wine that is both ripe and elegant. It is bolstered by tannins, the acidity a great cutting edge. The black currant fruits are already delicious, although the tannins promise a great future."

WINESPECTATOR: "This takes the power of the vintage and puts it in its pocket for later, preferring instead to let mouthwatering briar, loganberry, mulberry and blackberry fruit strut its way forward, enlivened with roasted wood spice and supported by suavely but thoroughly embedded iron-tinged structure. Should cruise for two decades. Best from 2016 through 2035. 4,500 cases made, 675 cases imported. — JM"