2016 - Canon, Saint-Emilion

The 2016 Canon is deep garnet-black in color. Wow - it rockets out of the glass with a powerful nose of blackberry preserves, chocolate-covered cherries, and blueberry compote followed by fragrant wafts of rose oil, dark chocolate, licorice, and tar. Medium to full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, the palate delivers a firm grainy texture and jaw-dropping tension to counter the profound, muti-layered black fruits, finishing with great length and depth.

The best for me since the 2010, just the perfect balance of ripeness, power, precision and finesse. This is more powerful on paper than the 2015 in terms of quantity of tannins but you feel them less because there are so many layers of flavour. Maple syrup, cocoa bean, cassis, black cherries, blueberries, violet and sage, with a saline kick on the finish. A wonderful example of what limestone can deliver. The texture is not silk, instead it has grip and grain, it holds you back and demands you stay around. Harvest September 22 to October 11. 45hl/hyield, 3.57ph, 65% new oak, harvest Setember 22 to October 11.

The 2016 Canon has a clean and fresh nose. The fruit profile is a mixture of red and black with just a hint of black truffle and licorice (the latter a trait that I had not picked up before). The palate is medium-bodied with finer tannins than the bottle four years ago, has a little more assertiveness and grip in situ, and is perhaps firmer and prepared for long-term maturation. It's precise on the finish. I would give this another few years in bottle. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the Icons of Bordeaux dinner at Legacy Records in New York.