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The enviable performance of proprietor Stephan de Neipperg over the last decade should make him a candidate for one of my wine personalities of the year. The 1996 Canon-La-Gaffeliere is less exuberant and flattering to taste than such vintages as 1989, 1990, and 1995. Perhaps because of that, it will appeal more to traditionalists who often find Neipperg's wines too flamboyant. The 1996's opaque black-purple color suggests extraordinary concentration. The wine offers beautifully integrated sweet, toasty oak, a sweet, smoky, olive, blackcurrant, licorice, and mineral-scented nose, medium to full body, admirable integration of tannin, acidity, and alcohol, and a seamless, long, concentrated finish with the vintage's noteworthy tannin well-displayed. It will require 3-5 years of cellaring, and should easily keep through the first decade of the next century. I tasted this wine on four separate occasions during my trip to Bordeaux, rating it exactly the same on each occasion, with consistently laudatory comments. Drink: 2000-2010.
The enviable performance of proprietor Stephan de Neipperg over the last decade should make him a candidate for one of my wine personalities of the year. The 1996 Canon-La-Gaffeliere is less exuberant and flattering to taste than such vintages as 1989, 1990, and 1995. Perhaps because of that, it will appeal more to traditionalists who often find Neipperg's wines too flamboyant. The 1996's opaque black-purple color suggests extraordinary concentration. The wine offers beautifully integrated sweet, toasty oak, a sweet, smoky, olive, blackcurrant, licorice, and mineral-scented nose, medium to full body, admirable integration of tannin, acidity, and alcohol, and a seamless, long, concentrated finish with the vintage's noteworthy tannin well-displayed. It will require 3-5 years of cellaring, and should easily keep through the first decade of the next century. I tasted this wine on four separate occasions during my trip to Bordeaux, rating it exactly the same on each occasion, with consistently laudatory comments. Drink: 2000-2010.
The 1996 Canon-La-Gaffeliere is less exuberant and flattering to taste than such vintages as 1989, 1990, and 1995. Perhaps because of that, it will appeal more to traditionalists who often find Neipperg's wines too flamboyant. The 1996's opaque black-purple color suggests extraordinary concentration. The wine offers beautifully integrated sweet, toasty oak, a sweet, smoky, olive, black currant, licorice, and mineral-scented nose, medium to full body, admirable integration of tannin, acidity, and alcohol, and a seamless, long, concentrated finish with the vintage's noteworthy tannin well-displayed. It will require 3-5 years of cellaring, and should easily keep through the first decade of the next century. I tasted this wine on four separate occasions during my trip to Bordeaux, rating it exactly the same on each occasion, with consistently laudatory comments. Last tasted 11/97. Drink: 2000-2010.
An impressively extracted, opaque purple-colored wine, this flamboyant St.-Emilion offers intense aromas of jammy black cherries, melted chocolate, pain grille, and spice. Full-bodied, rich, and huge in the mouth, with layers of extract, glycerin, and tannin, this is an immense, exotic St.-Emilion that will require a half dozen years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2018.
This is one of St.-Emilion's most impressively constituted and expressive wines. From its saturated purple color, to its soaring aromatics (pain grille, jammy black fruits, chocolate, roasted coffee, and smoke), this full-bodied, meaty, chewy, powerful wine is loaded with extract, sweet tannin for the vintage, and possesses a layered, multidimensional finish. It should continue to improve for a decade, and drink well for 15-20 years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion. Surrounding St Emilion are vines that produce round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Despite a myriad of soil types, two main ones dominate - the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself which is comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. Despite St Emilion's popularity today, it was not until the 1980s to early 1990s that attention was brought to this region. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place which dates from 1955 and outlines several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into "A" (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) and "B" (including Angélus, Canon, Figeac and a handful of others). To ensure better accuracy, the classification is redone every 10 years enabling certain châteaux to be upgraded or downgraded depending on on the quality of their more recent vintages.
