Canon - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2022

Alexandre Ma

99

byAlexandre Mathe3/10/2025

I was quite surprised when I learned that Château Canon began harvesting on August 30th, and I couldn’t help but worry about the maturity of the phenolics. But all my doubts vanished as soon as I inhaled the crisp aromas of red cherries and sour dates. The 2022 vintage of Château Canon is bursting with the fragrance of roses, as if a cascade of rose petals were creating a Valentine’s Day-like romantic atmosphere—utterly captivating. The salty finish is equally impressive, with a lingering aftertaste of limestone powder that gently lifts you up and embraces you in a slow, tender hold. Typically, Château Canon gives me a sense of restrained elegance, but in the 2022 vintage, I saw a spectrum of vibrant colors—bright yet never gaudy.

Wine Advocate

100

byWilliam Kelleythe3/7/2025

The 2022 Canon has turned out brilliantly in bottle. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of sweet raspberries, wild berries and cherries mingled with hints of violets, pencil shavings, black truffle and rose petals, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a dense, enveloping core of fruit underpinned by a chassis of sweet, suave tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. This is one of the most muscular, broad-shouldered vintages of Canon in recent years, but it retains every bit of its limestone-driven identity. As I wrote two years ago, this is an estate that is delivering its greatest run of vintages since the superb Post War series that preceded the frosts of 1956, and the 2022 is indeed reminiscent of a modern day version of one of those great years.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

98

byJane Ansonthe3/7/2025

Well structured, an exceptional wine, and one that will age without a worry. Great depth to the creamy black, blue and red fruits, enjoyable sage and white pepper spice, touches of lemongrass and mandarin peel, plenty of concentration, has signature and complexity, with an ocean spray salinity on the finish. 45hl/h yield after careful vineyard work to protect the grapes from the heat, aged in 50% new oak, including four large oak casks, in organic conversion.

Decanter.com

98

byGeorgina Hindlethe3/7/2025

Expressive and evocative, with ripe strawberries, cola, wet stones, liquorice and roses. Glossy and intense, packed with blackcurrant, cherry, blueberry and strawberry. The tannins have a salty edge, adding structure. Tension and focus define this wine, with a streamlined core lifted by crystalline acidity. Delicate, precise and balanced. A long,...

The Wine Cellar Insider

99

byJeff Levethe3/4/2025

Canon, Château

Jeb DUNNUCK

100

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/28/2025

Ripe black cherries, graphite, crushed stone, and a beautiful floral character all define the 2022 Château Canon, another brilliantly pure and seamless wine from this team. Based on 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, it was raised in 50% new French oak, with a small percentage in foudre. Medium to full-bodied, it’s focused and precise on the palate, with ripe, polished tannins, integrated acidity, and a gorgeous finish. The elegance and purity here are truly striking, and it brings that rare mix of power and elegance. This sensational Saint-Émilion should evolve gracefully for three decades. In my view, it’s the finest Canon ever, surpassing the 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Yvesbeck.wine

100

byYves Beckthe2/25/2025

75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc La profondeur, la définition et la subtilité posent les jalons d'entrée. Le vin est serein, presque magistral, délicat et confiant. Le palais n'a qu'à bien se tenir, mais il assimile brillamment les prouesses du bouquet. Dense, velouté, élégant et vigoureux, le vin peut se targuer de sa force tranquille, de cette énergie civilisée et de ce croquant contemporain ! Un vin exceptionnel qui n'a pas besoin de briller de sa puissance, vu que son sens aigu du détail endosse une responsabilité non seulement respectable, mais louable ! La grandeur ne se mesure pas, elle se vit ! 2028-2057 100/100

Vinous

98

byNeal Martinthe2/12/2025

The 2022 Canon has an exquisite bouquet that stops you in your tracks with heavenly blackberry, blueberry, violet and crushed limestone tones—articulating its terroir in consummate style. This has brilliant delineation and just soars from the glass. The medium-bodied palate features fine tannins, a very mineral-driven, almost symmetrical texture and a hint of black olive compote on the finish. It is an outstanding Saint-Émilion and certainly one of the best vintages produced at Canon.

Jamessuckling.com

99

byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2025

Fascinating dark aromas such as cherries and currants as well as Spanish cedar. Umami. Some dried flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, this has juicy and savory fruit such as intense berries with sandalwood and dried-mushroom undertones. Lots going on here. Very muscular for Canon but well-formed and beautiful. Minerally and salty at the end. 75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc. Best after 2022.

Vinous

99

byAntonio Gallonithe1/28/2025

The 2022 Canon is a regal wine of total sophistication and class—aromatic, light on its feet and super-expressive. Crushed flowers, chalk, mint, dried herbs, incense and blood orange all race across the palate. Clean saline-inflected notes extend the mid-palate and finish effortlessly. Even with all of the heat and drought of the year, Canon retains its essential, highly refined personality.

Wine Spectator

96

byJames Molesworththe12/9/2024

Wine Maniacs

97-99

byLin Liuthe5/30/2023

Decanter.com

98

byGeorgina Hindlethe5/25/2023

A superb Canon in 2022. Supple, shiny, oh so charming, gorgeously sleek and well textured like pure silk but with density to the tannins that grips and coats the mouth, plus you know there's such power and concentration underneath in the waves of liquorice, stones, blackcurrant fruit. Extremely polished and charming. Vibrant, energetic, tense, and straight. It's not plush, more direct, but this wine thrills. Seamless and effortless, bright and energetic but with such a calm control and confidence. A stunning wine more for what it doesn't say than what it does in 2022. A yield of 45hl/ha. pH 3.5. 18 months ageing with 50% new oak. Harvest 30 August - 22 September.

Alexandre Ma

97-99

byAlexandre Mathe5/17/2023

Château Canon began their harvest on August 30th, a decision that initially surprised and concerned me about the grapes' optimal ripeness. However, during the En Primeurs tasting, the vibrant red cherry and tangy jujube quickly dispelled my doubts. It's hard to describe just how captivating the rose fragrance of Château Canon 2022 truly is; a profusion of rose petals creates a romantic ambiance, as if one has stepped into a fairy-tale world. The exceptional saline finish, accompanied by subtle limestone powders, effortlessly elevates you. While Château Canon usually exudes a matte, sophisticated impression, the vintage of 2022 presents more brightness – one that is enticing yet never garish.

Vinous

96-98

byNeal Martinthe5/17/2023

The 2022 Canon was picked from 30 August to 22 September and is matured in 50% new oak for a planned 18 months. It has a beautifully-defined bouquet with plumes of blackberry, raspberry and subtle violet flower scents. The palate is very fresh on the entry, announcing a relatively linear Canon. The limestone terroir seeps into every pore of this Saint-Émilion. This is one of the more intellectual and saline Canon wines in recent years. A triumph in such a hot growing season, elevated by its limestone soils.

The Vintage Journal

96-97

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2023

Deep colour. Very expressive musky dark plum, mulberry, elderberry aromas and flavours, fine grainy tannins, attractice mid-palate richess/ suppleness and well integrated savoury complexity. Crunchy saline acidity. Still elemental but all in very good balance. Beautiful wine. 75% Merlot 25% Cabernet Franc 50% new oak. 14.5% alc

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

98

byJane Ansonthe5/16/2023

The inky intensity of the colour might make you worry that the limestone signature will be swamped, but it is very much guiding proceedings on the palate here. Expect waves of red roses, rhubarb, pink grapefruit, salinity, but also real intensity, there is a depth and complexity that quite stunning as the wine expands through the palate, with creamy blue and black fruits, and a mouthwatering oyster shell finish. 45hl/h, 3.5ph, 50% new oak, with four larger-sized oak casks. A standout in the vintage, more proof of the exceptional level that Canon is playing at right now. 50% new oak.

matthewjukes.com

20

byMatthew Jukesthe5/15/2023

The Wine Independent

97-99

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/15/2023

The 2022 Canon is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc with a yield of 45 hl/ha, planned to be aged for 18 months in 50% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it requires a lot of patient swirling to release scents of fresh blackberries, raspberry preserves, and Morello cherries, giving way to emerging scents of rose oil, cumin seed, crushed rocks, and underbrush, plus a fragrant waft of candied violets. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and tightly wound with firm, finely grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing long and perfumed. pH 3.50.

Yvesbeck.wine

98-100

byYves Beckthe5/10/2023

D'entrée, Canon incarne la sérénité qu'on lui connaît. Il l'affiche avec assurance, avec délicatesse et ne manque pas de souligner son extraordinaire pluralité. Une multitude d'éléments viennent titiller le nerf olfactif, tant au niveau épicé, que fruité ou minéral. On y retrouve des nuances de garrigues, de feuilles de thé, de fruits noirs et de menthe poivrée. Entre autres ! A l'instar du bouquet, le palais se profile avec cette notion de force tranquille, de sérénité également. Tout concorde, chaque élément à sa place. La puissance, admirablement canalisée, est de paire avec la tension de la structure acide. Le vin cumule ainsi, densité et salinité tandis qu'une fine austérité appuie l'expression aromatique de la finale. Un vin d'un niveau exceptionnel, qui tutoie la perfection et qui s'affiche de manière majestueuse et néanmoins humble. Il sait ce qu'il peut, mais il ne l'annonce pas en fanfare, plutôt en chorale, évidemment avec des canons !

Bettane & Desseauve

98

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/10/2023

Nez complexe et profond d’iris, de fruits noirs, avec une nuance de violette, toucher de tannin satiné, crémeux et fin, grande intensité sans rien finesse et fraîcheur. Le grain calcaire magnifie le vin en finale.

Jeb DUNNUCK

97-99

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/10/2023

Tasted on three separate occasions (and I thought it had the potential to be a perfect wine on one of those), the 2022 Château Canon is an incredible wine in the making, and it might be the finest in the series starting in 2015. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc harvested between August 30 and September 22, it comes from yields of 45 hectoliters per hectare and hit 14.5% alcohol. The élevage will run 16-18 months in just 30% new French oak. As classy as they come, it has a beautiful perfume of red and blue fruits as well as notes of white flowers, truffly earth, woodsmoke, and forest floor. With incredible density, a multi-layered texture, ultra-fine tannins, and integrated acidity, this incredible Canon will evolve for 30-40 years. I finished my rough note on this with "Pure class." 97-99+

Vinous

96-99

byAntonio Gallonithe5/9/2023

The 2022 Canon is elegant and sensual, with virtually no sensation of tannin. A wine with no beginning and end, Canon is totally seamless. All the Canon signatures are there, but woven together in an effortless, gracious expression of this site. It's the sort of wine that is about subtlety and nuance more than power. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and spice caress the palate, but ultimately, Canon is above all else a wine of exquisite detail. Haute couture. Tasted three times. Drinking window : 2032-2072

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100

byJeff Levethe5/5/2023

Dark in color, the wine kicks open the door with its floral bouquet. From there, you find in the perfume, crushed stone, red fruits, licorice, spice, and wild cherries. On the palate, the wine is perfectly balanced between elegance and finesse on one side, and silky, fresh, sexiness and sensuality on the other side. The fruit shows a remarkable sense of purity. There are no hard edges. The finish is seamless. This is the best vintage since 2015. And in time, it could even be better! Drink from 2027-2060.

Wine Advocate

99-100

byWilliam Kelleythe5/2/2023

From an estate that is delivering its greatest run of vintages since the superb Post War series that preceded the frosts of 1956, the 2022 Canon is a magical wine that will be worth every effort to track down. Wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, wild plums and cherries mingled with hints of bay leaf, spices and violets, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with huge levels of concentration, vibrant acids and beautifully refined tannins. Concluding with a long, saline finish, this pure, perfumed and ineffably complete Canon is built for the ages, even if its structural polish is such that it will be approachable at a surprisingly early age.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99

byJames Sucklingthe4/19/2023

Endless on the palate with plenty of umami character. So Canon in its nature with plenty of fruit and fine tannins, yet almost weightless. The structure is all there. Electric. Long, long, long. 75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc.