Many of you might be receiving a raft of emails over the coming weeks suggesting you should buy the 2024 En Primeur wines from Bordeaux.
As an alternative, there are a significant number of older vintages that are ready for drinking today, and priced at very competitive prices compared to wines that might need another decade, or more, before they are accessible.
Over the coming months I shall be highlighting a number of these as I search for Clarets that are drinking very well without breaking the bank.
One such wine is the 2016 Château Croix Canon, the second wine of Canon. This is always a Merlot dominant blend, from an 11 hectare site dedicated to producing this Grand Cru St-Émilion. The 2016 vintage saw 76% Merlot with Cabernet Franc making up the balance, and 25% aged in new oak.
2016 on the right bank saw an exceptionally warm and wet winter. The warmth continued into spring, with an early budburst, but the rains continued to early June. Then a hot and dry summer ensued. However, given the earlier rainfall, the vines did not suffer from drought. Grapes ripened slowly providing good fruit with balanced acidity, and with some rain in mid-September, the final crop was in near perfect condition. Overall, an excellent vintage.
This wine is ready and will certainly improve over the next 5 years: it is a perfect example of a second wine from a very established and respected house. Sophisticated in style, as you would expect from a property owned by Chanel, this has an excellent balance containing good fruit, integrated tannins, medium acidity, and is very attractive. Good length, and at this price, not a tricky decision. The magnums would look good on the table.
£33.85 - Justerinis
Magnums - 6x150cl - £467.78 - Goedhuis Waddesdon
