CHÂTEAU CANON LA GAFFELIÈRE

2019 Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion

EN PRIMEUR

The 2019 Canon-la-Gaffelière is quite punchy and bold on the nose. Blackberry and raspberry fruit, cedar and mint emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannins, quite plush yet cohesive, fanning out towards the velvety finish with a brush of white pepper on the aftertaste. One of the more approachable Saint-Émilion wines in this vintage. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drinking range: 2024 - 2040 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

* 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 2019 Canon La Gaffelière is utterly fabulous. All the elements come together in a Saint-Émilion that dazzles with its completeness and total sense of balance. Raspberry jam, blood orange, spice, lavender and dried flowers infuse the 2019 with captivating nuance. La Gaffelière is a rich, potent wine that exudes class and pedigree right out of the gate. In a word: superb. Drinking range: 2029 - 2044 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

The 2019 Canon La Gaffelière bides its time in the glass, tightly wound at first, then unfurling to reveal vivacious red berries, crushed violet and light iodine aromas that are all exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit and perfectly judged acidity, seamless and harmonious. It gently builds with just the right amount of sapidity on the finish. Is this among the best Canon-la-Gaffelière ever made? Most definitely. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

The 2019 Canon La Gaffelière is a nervous, tightly wound wine. Then again, we are talking about a Cabernet Franc-driven Saint-Émilion. Sweet red berries, mint, blood orange and spice pulse with tremendous energy. Aromatically expressive and deep, Canon La Gaffelière builds effortlessly over time, leading to a bright, saline and mineral-drenched finish that is a thing of beauty. The 2019 shows much better from a full bottle (as opposed to a half), with silky tannins that emerge with a touch of aeration. I won't be surprised if the 2019 is even better from bottle than this note suggests. Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Canon la Gaffeliere opens with an incredibly evocative perfume of lilacs, Morello cherries, black raspberries, jasmine and Sichuan pepper over a core of ripe black plums, wild blueberries and dark chocolate with touches of iron ore and cumin seed. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals an edifying intensity of electric blue and black fruit layers, supported by a rock-solid frame of firm, finely grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long with a firework display of fruit, mineral and spicy nuances. A thrilling wine from the get-go and one that should age very well! Rating: 95-97+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)

The 2019 Canon La Gaffelière was picked from 19 September to 7 October at 51hl/ha and sees 60% new oak. It has a very focused bouquet, tight at first and benefitting from an hour's aeration. Eventually it reveals glorious red berry scents mixed with cedar, loamy soil and a pinch of cracked black pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh with a return of that black pepper note right on the finish. Excellent. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)

I love the balance on display here, of powerful and softly whispering fruits, a tightrope of acidity and tannins giving structure. Great stuff, with the impact of 2018 but more freshness, although still with the signature glamour of a Neipperg wine in full flight. Drinking range: 2025 - 2044 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2020)

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 on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.

Ordering

Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.

Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.

Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.

Confirmation

All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.

Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.

Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.

Delivery

  • Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
  • Delivery of 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.

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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.

Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.

Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.

One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-

  • +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
  • +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
  • +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
  • +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
  • +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
  • +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.

Storage Options:

Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2025. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.