CHÂTEAU CANON LA GAFFELIÈRE

2013 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

Very blue-edged colour. More class here. A bit of spice and lift, but with it a more austere character and a twist of dryness on the finish. Mineral freshness and flow, the terroir coming though. Could turn into a mini aristo; - a baronet of a wine, but will probably always be a bit starchy and structured. Rating: 90 L&S (Apr 2014)

* 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.

Stern black fruit aromas at first, but then intense red fruits emerge, giving the bouquet more elegance. The palate is supple and fresh but concentrated, with weight, flesh and fine acidity on the finish. Drinking range: 2016 - 2024 Rating: 90 Stephen Brook, Decanter.com (Oct 2016)

Production was down to one-third of what they produced in 2012, as only 2,000+ cases came out of this 30-acre vineyard from the clay and limestone soils at the bottom of the foothills of St.-Emilion. The final blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet France and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from proprietor Stephan von Neipperg achieved 12.85% natural alcohol. Plenty of Christmas fruitcake, licorice, tobacco leaf, and red and blackcurrants are present in this soft, easygoing, fruity wine that will be charming and ideal for drinking in its first 7-8 years of life. 2014-2022 Rating: 87-90 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Aug 2014)

(70% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon; 70% new oak): Bright ruby-red. Sexy notes of violets and cinnamon complicate blackcurrant and cedar on the knockout nose. Fresh and juicy but the red and dark berry flavors turn a little austere at the back. Finishes fresh and long, with rising, mouthcoating tannins, above-average density, and lingering hints of aromatic leafiness and lead pencil. Rating: 88-91 Ian d'Agata - Stephen Tanzer website (May 2014)

Rich fruits fleshy on the nose with sweet fruit on the start of the palate there is a lovely mix of flavours. The sweeter black fruits are backed by fresher red the back palate quite light with a fragrant charm. 2017-27. Rating: 89-92 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2014)

A characteristically well balanced wine from Stephan von Neipperg and his team, showing sweet, mocha oak, granular tannins and fine balance. The 25% Cabernet Franc adds perfume, the 5% Cabernet Sauvignon backbone and the Merlot provides the texture. 2018-26 Rating: 92 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2014)

(70 Merlot, 25 Cabernet Franc, 2 Cabernet Sauvignon) 70% new oak. Interesting nose - quite vegetal, beetrooty and dark with mulberry highlights. Not overtly fruity but not sour either. The oak is very dominant but it’s not drying. On the palate the blackberry theme shines through. Quite expressive in this vintage and certainly a wine to watch. Rating: 17.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2014)

Quite an attractive malty sort of character here, and milk chocolate too. Juicy black fruit, medium tannins, light body. Short finish and not hugely complex – but the fruit flavours are all ripe, and there is good balance. (RH) Drink 2015-2020. Rating: 16 Richard Hemming MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2014)

Tiny yield (10 hl/ha). Cabernet notes and freshness. Maintains its elegance but with a lighter frame and depth. Pure and long. Harmonious. Drink: 2018-2028. Rating: 17 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2014)

Juicy and lively, with lovely raspberry and boysenberry fruit that belies the vintage. Toasted spice, red licorice and incense notes line the finish. Rating: 89–92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2014)

The Canon-la-Gaffelière is a blend of 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon picked form 27 September until 9 October, raised in 70% new oak. There is a pastille like quality on the nose with scents of red cherries and fresh strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, light in the mouth but quite tensile, with a slightly chewy finish. It seems more reserved than previous vintages and more introspective, but perhaps it will come out of its shell during élevage. Rating: 88-90 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)

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.