I had this last night. My wife fell asleep after one glass. I had no problem finishing the bottle.
This is not an extraordinary wine. It is not a legend, either in the making or in decomposition. But it is a really lovely, elegant wine with an endlessly fascinating nose. It is the kind of wine that makes aged bdx such a pleasure to drink.
If you own bottles of this wine, you have pleasure in your future, but it needn’t be the near future. It did not taste to me as if it were begging to be consumed now.
I suppose $100 is a fair price for a 30 year old wine, but it isn’t likely that I will buy more at that price.
I love these wines, these notes. I know $100 is a lot, but it’s a fully mature, elegant wine. I buy these old gems from time to time even knowing they might only be 89, 90 pointers, compared to getting something younger with far more promise, and then having to sit on them for a decade-plus. Last year I bought a couple of the '89 Oliviers (Graves) and '90 La Louvieres (Graves) from my local guy at exactly $100. Recently grabbed some even more mature wines from Chambers, including an '82 Poujeaux at $100. They were lovely, not blockbusters, but just plain lovely wines. Thanks for the notes, Neal.
Thanks Neal. I have enjoyed a number of vintages of Canon and been consistently pleased. Even when it isn’t a legend, it is still a great story. If the price is right, I will buy it every time I find it. Ch. Oliviers, mentioned by Robert, is a producer I think highly of based on the wines I have had, both red and white. Both are definitely worth a search.
That is a lovely note, Neal. I have this wine but have yet to try it, and it sounds like I will enjoy it. An elegant wine with a fascinating nose - just what I look for.
Love the 85 Canon right now. Never had the 86, sounds lovely.
Canon is one of my favorite Bordeaux. I just got 2 bottles of the 2011 Canon for a great price from PC (in stock), I wonder if the style has changed much since Chanel bought the Chateau five years ago or so? Parker was uncharacteristically high on the '11, FWIW.
I checked, Chanel actually bought Canon in 1996. Sounds like the real change happening now is the reigning winemaker, Kolasa, is moving on as of the 2014 vintage.
I had just generally been hearing it has gone a bit modern. I have nothing to base that on other than what I have heard, not having tasted a more recent release of Canon.
Nice note. Canon is definitely something to savor with enthusiasts.
RAj- if you like older Moulis - Winex has some 85’s of an estate I don’t recognize for $40. I remember drinking up those two Graves much younger. I am astounded they fetch triple digits now!
I agree, Arv, but I justified it this way: When these wines came out, I paid $20 for the Olivier and $25 on the La Louv. While I don’t like dropping a c-note on a bottle, I can more afford that in 2015 than I could as a brand new grad in 1992. But yea, I love $25!
Bottle #2 being drained at the moment. I really like this. This bottle has that subtle background roasted-meat-and-mushroom thing going on on the palate, which is really welcome as long as it is subtle. And the nose is really seductive.
I wish I had more, which is about all you can ask from a bottle like this
I almost pulled this wine to take to a dinner tomorrow evening, but there will be several other wines being opened and I felt this would be lost and not enjoyed as much as it would be if savored on its own. Instead, I will take an early 90s Heitz or Spottswoode, and keep the '86 Canon a little longer.
The 83 Canon is one of the most pleasurable wines I know. I pretty much drooled over that early in its life and again circa 2000. The last one I acquired a couple of years ago was thinning a tad, though that might have been a storage issue.