Château Canon-la-Gaffelière is a

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the b ...

from the

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

Saint-Émilion, ranked ''Premier Grand cru classé'' in the

Classification of Saint-Émilion wine In 1955, the wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Médoc and Graves regions, the Saint-Émilion list is updated every 10 ye ...

. The

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

is located in the Right Bank of France's Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1, ...

. The estate also produces the

second wine Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or ev ...

Côte Mignon La Gaffelière, and is closely involved with the production of the ''" Vin de garage"'' La Mondotte.

History

Although an old property with

viticultural Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

history dating back to the 17th century when the Comte de Malets-Roqueforts bought extensive real-estate, including the site of a

leper colony A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. ''M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East Af ...

, and rented out large parts to

sharecroppers Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

. This vineyard came to prominence when Boitard de la Poterie family bought and cultivated what became known as Canon-Boitard, while the remaining land retained by the Malets-Roqueforts would become Château La Gaffelière. Both the estates apply the word ''gaffet'', which translates to

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve dama ...

. In 1971 the estate was bought by count Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg, and in 1985 passed control to his son count Stephan von Neipperg, the current proprietor. Accredited with much of the success of the estate, his other properties include

Clos de l'Oratoire Clos de l'Oratoire is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Saint-Émilion, ranked ''Grand cru classé'' in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Sai ...

and the ''"super-cuvée"'' La Mondotte. Having once been an exponent of modern techniques in winemaking, including

microoxygenation Micro-oxygenation is a process used in winemaking to introduce oxygen into wine in a controlled manner. Developed in 1991 by Patrick DuCournau, working with the exceptionally tannic grape Tannat in Madiran, the process gained usage in modern winema ...

,winepros.com.au. von Neipperg has become critical of his own earlier vintages. Since the early 2000s he has reverted Canon-la-Gaffelière to a style of moderation aiming at a truer expression of wine, and is quoted saying "I don't make plum pudding". The estate's consultant is the self-taught

oenologist Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

Stéphane Derenoncourt.

Production

The vineyard area extends 19.5 hectares with the grape varieties of 55%

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to t ...

, 40%

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...

and 5%

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...

. Of the ''Grand vin'', Château Canon-la-Gaffelière there is a total annual production of 7,500 cases, in addition to the production of the second wine, Côte Mignon La Gaffelière.

La Mondotte

From a small plot of limestone near Château Pavie-Macquin, originally purchased by Joseph-Hubert von Neipperg in 1971 when it was named Château La Mondotte, the ''

terroir (, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contex ...

'' initially produced crops that struggled to ripen and did not meet expectations. Using the most modern techniques, the word "château" was omitted to emphasise a new start, and that the little house on the property is hardly a château, La Mondotte was launched with the 1996 vintage. With its extreme characteristics, it is alternately referred to as a ''"super-cuvée"'' or a ''"garage wine"'', and has become one of the most expensive wines of Bordeaux. From a vineyard area of 4.5 hectares composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the estate has an annual production of 650 to 1,000 cases a year. As well as Canon la Gaffelière, La Mondotte has also been promoted a ''Premier Grand cru classé'' estate with the Saint-Émilion reclassification in 2012.

References

External links

Château Canon-la-Gaffelière official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canon La Gaffeliere, Chateau Bordeaux wine producers