CHÂTEAU CANON LA GAFFELIÈRE

2015 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

Creamy and soft, fine tannins, but this lacks the the crack of the whip that I liked in it ten or more years ago - it seems all smoothed out into this dry cream texture, with admittedly lots of fruit and nice overall balance, but does not show the character of the terroir in the way I feel it used to. Rating: 91-92 L&S (Apr 2016)

* 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 aromas of violets and rose petals are prevalent here with blue fruits as well. Full body, integrated and firm tannins and a long finish. Structured yet fine and shows such finesse. Give it five or six years to come together. Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)

I can’t remember tasting a young Canon-La-Gaffelière that I’ve enjoyed as much as this one. Floral, fine and textured, with chalky freshness, sculpted tannins, just the right amount of new oak and the structure to age gracefully in bottle. Delicious. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 95 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)

Only 55% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. 55% new oak. Purplish crimson. Quite heady. Lots of Cabernet leafiness (picked up to 6 October). Racy, sinewy. Far from a blockbuster. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)

Pure and fragrant with a delightfully perfumed nose. The palate is harmonious and poised with a velvety texture showing maturity and freshness. Fruit very much to the fore backed by fine-grained tannins and a persistent finish. Now organically certified. Drinking range: 2022 - 2038 Rating: 93 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)

The 2015 Canon la Gaffeliere is a blend of 55% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between 19 September and 6 October at 37 hl/ha and matured in 55% new oak barrels. It has another "cool" bouquet, a common thread among Comte Stephan Von Neipperg's 2015s - very restrained at first, nicely focused and gradually revealing undergrowth and even a subtle charcoal scent (probably from the Cabernet Sauvignon). The palate is medium-bodied with black fruit laced with graphite and cedar, the Cabernet brothers really defining the character of this Saint Emilion and edging it towards say, more Figeac in style. This is a fascinating 2015, more cerebral than previous vintages that I have tasted over the years. Drinking range: 2020 - 2045 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)

The 2015 Canon La Gaffelière is seriously impressive. Like all of Stephan von Neipperg's wines in this vintage, the Canon La Gaffelière is endowed with considerable richness and a sense of vertical structure. The significant presence of Cabernet Franc gives the wine striking aromatic lift, which it very much needs. Mocha, red cherry jam and sweet floral notes give the 2015 its soaring perfume. This exceptionally beautiful Saint-Émilion is going to need time to fully come together, but it is super-impressive, even in the early going. The 2015 has been nothing short of magnificent on the two occasions I have tasted it so far. The presence of Cabernet Franc is felt in the wine's strong aromatic signature Rating: 95-97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)

Very tight yet shows wonderful cream and lemon rind texture. Full and powerful with walnut and spice character. Linear and focused. 55% merlot, 37% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon. Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2016)

Dark and winey, with currant paste and fig notes backed by slightly briary grip and an ample dose of toast. There’s good energy here and nice vivacity, despite the darker profile today, and this should easily round into form after the élevage. Rating: 94—97 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)

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.