Château Canon la Gaffelière - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1994

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1997

This is one of the top estates of St.-Emilion. The ambitious proprietor, Comtes de Neipperg, is to be commended on the terrific job he has done at Canon-la-Gaffeliere since the mid-eighties. A dense purple color is accompanied by strikingly pure aromas of Provencal olives, jammy cassis, and smoky pain grillee notes. Ripe and fat, this medium to full-bodied, moderately tannic, muscular yet elegant wine needs another 2-4 years of cellaring. It should keep for 16-17 years. It is an impressive, well-balanced 1994.

Wine Spectator

89 / 100

the1/31/1997

Caresses with fine tannins, but it's slightly closed at the moment. Medium- to full-bodied, with a silky finish. Mineral and fruit define the character. Try in 1999.

Wine Advocate

88-90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1996

This estate continues to turn out one of the finest wines of the appellation. The 1994 exhibits a deep ruby color with purple nuances. Impressive toasty smoky oak is spiked with plenty of rich, herbaceous black-cherries, licorice, and vanilla. Round, sweet, and rich, with noticeably less aggressive tannin than last year, this medium to full-bodied, impressively-endowed, fleshy wine should drink well for 10-12 years. Looking for character and personality in a Bordeaux? Check out the 1994s and 1995s from this estate.

Wine Advocate

88-90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1995

It will be interesting to see if Canon La Gaffeliere is promoted in the new 1995 classification of the wines of St.-Emilion. Certainly the efforts produced by Count Stephan Neipperg have been impressive, especially since 1988. The 1994 (85% of the harvest was included in the top wine) is a 58% Merlot/42% Cabernet Franc blend that admirably exhibits the style that has emerged from Canon La Gaffeliere since the late eighties. This dense wine possesses an opaque dark purple color, a big, smoky, lavishly oaked, sweet nose of black fruits, licorice, and vanilla, plenty of fat, potentially outstanding richness, and a smooth, moderately tannic finish. It should reach full maturity in 3-4 years and last for 15 or more.