The 2020 Canon la Gaffelière, a Bordeaux Blend from the Saint Emilion sub-region of Bordeaux, France, has garnered high praise from various professional reviewers. This wine, with an alcohol content of 13.5%, is noted for its refined and polished character, demonstrating the excellence of this vintage.
James Suckling commends the wine for its "minerally, almost salty character," rating it a high 96 points. He highlights its "full body and beautiful, compact tannins" and describes the finish as "racy" with "excellent drive." Suckling's assessment underscores the wine's sophisticated structure and dynamic finish.
Decanter also offers a favorable review, scoring it 94 points. They describe the wine as "concentrated and intense," with dominant flavors of "juicy liquorice and blackberry." The review further notes the wine's "beautiful tension with slate and crushed stone texture" and a finish marked by "chocolate shavings, bitter and intense." Decanter mentions that the wine improves after 24 hours of opening, which is considered a positive sign for an en primeur sample.
Jeff Leve of TheWineCellarInsider.com gives the wine a 96-point rating, emphasizing its floral characteristics, with notes of "white flowers and dried roses" alongside "plums, black cherries, black raspberries, mint and cigar wrapper nuances." He praises the wine's "lush, opulent, and vibrant" palate, complemented by a "touch of salty chalk" on the finish.
Jeb Dunnuck awards the wine an impressive 97 points, calling it "quite possibly the finest vintage of this cuvée." He highlights the wine's "richness and elegance" with "cassis, ripe black cherries, spring flowers, and truffly earth" on the nose. Dunnuck describes it as "full-bodied and perfectly balanced," predicting a long aging potential of 2-3 decades.
Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, Vinous, and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate also provide excellent reviews, with scores ranging from 95 to 97 points. Each publication praises the wine's depth, balance, and aging potential, noting its complex aromas of dark berries, plums, rose petals, and spices, along with a consistent structural integrity.
Overall, the 2020 Canon la Gaffelière stands out as a well-crafted Bordeaux blend, promising significant aging potential and a refined drinking experience.