CHÂTEAU CANON LA GAFFELIÈRE

2012 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

The 2012 Canon-la-Gaffelière has a higher toned nose than its peers, a little fresher than the 2012 Péby-Faugères with a light estuarine scent emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied and quite fleshy, savoury in style with a pretty black pepper-tinged finish. However, this fades in the glass and is perhaps not my favourite vintage in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. Drinking range: 2022 - 2033 Rating: 88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Sept 2022)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

The 2012 Canon La Gaffelière possesses striking aromatic presence, beautifully layered fruit and exceptional balance. This is arguably the most refined, precise wine in Stephan von Neipperg's stable, which is not surprising given the blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Rose petal, mint and generous red stone fruits meld into the creamy yet understated finish. This is a striking 2012 that speaks to finesse. Drinking range: 2018 - 2037 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jan 2016)

The Canon-la-Gaffeliere is an equal blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc picked between 3rd and 11th October and aged in 80% new oak. It has a perfumed floral bouquet with creamy new oak, succulent dark cherry fruit and crème de cassis emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and then it just dips a little on the mid palate. It remains balanced with fine acidity and a subtle saline touch on the finish. Fine – this might improve further in barrel. Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)

Fully justifying its status among the appellation’s elite châteaux, this clay and limestonebased property has produced a very impressive, age-worthy Saint Emilion. Deeply coloured, textured and silky with grassy top notes from the Cabernet Franc, ripe tannins and a fresh, leafy finish. Drink: 2020-35 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2013)

Good bright, full red. Reticent aromas of red cherry, cocoa powder, fresh herbs and licorice. Then rich and dense in the mouth, with black fruit and tar elements lingering nicely on the thick, somewhat chunky finish. But the tannins come off as a bit green and dry, as there's not quite enough middle-palate supporting material here. Perhaps the elevage will help this wine flesh out. Rating: 87-89 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2013)

Exotic notes of Christmas fruitcake, cedar wood, cassis, espresso roast and chocolate soar from the glass of this sensual, impressively well-endowed 2012. Full-bodied with silky tannin and well-integrated wood, this beauty is a tribute to the impeccable viticulture and fermentation techniques of Neipperg and his head consultant, Stephane Derenoncourt. This wine will be drinkable upon release and should evolve for 15 years. From brilliant proprietor Stephan von Neipperg, this nearly 50-acre vineyard on the foothills of the limestone plateau of St.-Emilion enjoyed low yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend consisted of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The natural alcohol is 13.5%, about average on the Right Bank in this vintage. 2013 - 2028 Rating: 92-94 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)

50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc – more than usual. Deeply coloured with purple rim. Strong Cabernet Franc character comes through: really zesty fruit with graphite layers. Attractive combination of fruit and dark savour, with the oak showing firmly on the finish at the moment (80% new). But it is fresh too, the tannins fully ripe and compact but not heavy. 2018 - 2028. Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)

An equal share of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Fragrant and floral. Attractive mid-palate fruit then long, firm finish. Well judged. Drink: 2020 - 2030. Rating: 17.25 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2013)

Great minerality, oak and fruit balance with electrifying tannins and an ultra-fine finish. Impressive. Rating: 18 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2013)

Bright and pure, with mingling notes of plum pit, black cherry preserves and steeped currant fruit, all lined with red licorice and well-integrated spice. Shows ample grip, but the tannins are well-buried. Not big, this relies more on accessibility and balance overall. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2013)

Château Canon La Gaffelière started out life with two seperate names. It was known as Canon Boitard and La Gaffelière-Boitard in the 19th century. Skipping ahead to modern history, in 1969, Count Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg purchased the Bordeaux wine estate in 1971. The von Neipperg family remain the owners today. Stephan von Neipperg manages the property as well as several other St. Emilion estates owned by the family. The Bordeaux wine property is located south of the St. Emilion village. It’s not far from La Gaffeliere. The terroir is sand and clay. The sandy topsoil adds more sand when you travel further from the slopes. The slope soil has a large concentration of clay. There is also a thick vein of clay in the subsoil, at a depth of between 70 and 150 cm.

Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.

Ordering

Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.

Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.

Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
  • Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
  • Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.

Practical notes - how it works

We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.

When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.

Additional charges are as follows:-

  • +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.