2023 Vintage Reviews & Scores

Here below our very excellent scores for our 2023s!

This year we only made two wines, the Cabernet Franc all went into our grand vin this year:

We’ve had some great reviews, as per below. There is more of a mixed bag this year, and whilst some critics scored us slightly lower than in previous years, I’m convinced of the quality, it’ one of our finest years, a very classic, perfectly ripe Bordeaux vintage. We had to send samples out to a few journalists, and they are notoriously fragile as we don’t add any sulphites into said samples so may have suffered slightly as a result.

Cuve 8a 2023
92-94/100: This wine, aged in a concrete cuve, stands out for its freshness and the fruity, floral intensity of its bouquet! Seductive and slightly creamy on the attack, the wine is precise and smooth. It is beautifully backed up by its velvety tannins from the mid-palate, while incisive acidity acts behind the scenes. It lends freshness, salinity and a thirst-quenching character to the wine. A real delight! 2026-2034'. Yves Beck

92-93/100 – "There is focus to this, with lots of salty undertones to the red fruit. It has a medium body, fine tannins and a crunchy finish. Some smokiness at the end. Refined.” James Suckling

88-90/100 "The 2023 Château Canon Chaigneau Cuve 8A is cut from the same cloth, with attractive notes of black cherry, leather, tobacco, and a kiss of graphite in its medium-bodied, round, nicely balanced and textured profile. As with the classic cuvée here, it has outstanding potential.” Jeb Dunnuck

88-90/100 "The 2023 Cuve 8a from Canon Chaigneau has a light, rather "distant" bouquet that might lack presence due to the élevage exclusively in concrete tanks. While the bouquet might be missing a bit of oomph, I do appreciate that the palate is armed with dark plum and mulberry notes, with a light estuarine scent in the background. To use a term that I more often use with respect to Burgundy, this has commendable transparency. Hopefully, the bouquet can get its act together by the time of bottling." Neal Martin

88-90/100 "The crasse de fer minerality is rather more evident in this, the non-oak-aged version of the wine, which I like. I like too the gently natural spiciness of the terroir – nutmeg and mace, cracked white peppercorns. Fresh, crisp and bright on the attack, with a dark berry and stone fruit and a very moderated and gentle extraction allowing the fresh fruit to take centre-stage. The tannins are a little chewy on the finish and this is never going to be a big wine, but there’s a pleasing eloquence to the terroir expression and quite a nicely-defined central spine." Colin Hay

Château Canon Chaigneau 2023
91-93/100: 'The bouquet displays its breeding with subtlety, while fruity nuances emerge through dark berries (blueberry, elderberry) followed by a touch of licorice. Woodiness also emerges on the palate, but it's elegant and not dominant. The tannins, a little tight but fine, ensure good power, while the structure lends a salivating quality. 2027-2043' Yves Beck

91-92/100 "I like the pretty and refined fruit here with hints of salt and pepper. It’s medium- to light-bodied with fine tannins and a clean finish.” James Suckling

90-92/100 "The palate is ripe on the entry with very pretty black plum, blackcurrant and light cassis notes. It shows fine delineation and is very pretty and harmonious on the finish. This sample was dispatched to my home, and I suspect the aromatics just might have suffered as a result. My score is based more on the promise shown by the palate and intuition that the aromatics will evolve once in bottle." Neal Martin

90-92/100 "Broader on the attack, much more creamily textured in the mid-palate and with a rather pleasingly open-textured structure, this is interestingly different from the Cuve 8a expression – even if one can sense immediately that it comes from the same terroir. The fruit is a little darker, there’s a little more complexity to it too with an attractive wild herbal note, even if the minerality is a little more tempered by the subtle presence of oak. The tannins on the finish will need a little time to soften, but this is an excellent wine in the making." Colin Hay

88-90/100 "The 2023 Canon-Chaigneau is a powerful, dark wine. It will be interesting to see how this comes together with élevage. At this stage, the tannins are pretty bruising in their intensity. Dollops of 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec round out this Merlot-based Lalande-de-Pomerol from Romik Arconian." Antonio Galloni

88-90/100 "Savory red fruits, leather, and tobacco/dried herb notes all emerge from the 2023 Château Canon Chaigneau, a medium-bodied, charming, thoroughly enjoyable 2023 that I suspect will drink well right out of the gate.” Jeb Dunnuck