Château Canon, originally Clos St-Martin, is a

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine (; ) 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 broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gi ...

from the

Saint-Émilion Saint-Émilion (; Gascon dialect, Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Southwestern France. In the heart of the country of Libournais (the area around Libourne), in a regio ...

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

, ranked among the Premiers grands crus classés B in the

Classification of Saint-Émilion wine In 1955, the Saint-Émilion AOC, wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux wine, Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Médoc and Graves (wine region), Grave ...

. The

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

is located just southwest of the old town of Saint-Émilion within the commune of the same name, closely neighbouring the estates such as

Château Magdelaine A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking reg ...

Château La Gaffelière Château La Gaffelière, previously Château Gaffelière-Naudes, is a Bordeaux wine from the Saint-Émilion appellation, ranked among the Premiers grands crus classés B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located west of Ch� ...

and

Château Ausone Château Ausone is a Bordeaux wine from Saint-Émilion appellation, previously ranked Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine but does not hold this rank after the 2022 reclassification. The winery is located ...

and has since the early 20th century been considered one of the top Saint-Émilions.

History

Originally a small vineyard planted around the Church of St-Martin by Jean Biès in the early 18th Century, the estate was named Clos St-Martin, sold in 1760 to Jacques Kanon, probably the source of the name Canon. A true ''clos'', the original 12 hectare vineyard was encircled by a wall, which Kanon expanded by acquiring seven small surrounding vineyards. He sold it on in 1770 with great profit to Raymond Fontémoing, a leading Libournais négociant. Still named Clos St-Martin, the name was not altered until 1853, when the modern name was taken, to the fury of the proprietors of Château Canon of Fronsac. Purchased by André Fournier in 1919, the estate remained in the Fournier family with success until vine disease problems arose in the early 1990s, and it was sold on to the

Wertheimer Wertheimer is an Ashkenazi Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akiba Israel Wertheimer (1778–1835), first Chief Rabbi of Altona and Schleswig-Holstein * Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, French Jewish billionaire owners of Ch ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

in 1996.

Production

The vineyard area extends 21.5 hectares (of which 13 lie within the original ''clos'', with grape varieties of 60%

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 , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

and 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 (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

. Chateau Canon annually produces on average 7,500 cases of the ''Grand vin'' Chateau Canon and 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 e ...

Clos de Canon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canon, Chateau Bordeaux wine producers Saint-Émilion wine