Château Canon

Château Canon in Bordeaux

The vineyards of Château Canon are located in the famous appellation of St. Emilion, on the Dordogne River, belonging to Bordeaux. The Château Canon is one of the most famous wine producers here.For many years, the chateau has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is one of the historic wine-growing regions of France.

The history of Château Canon

Originally, there was only a small vineyard planted around the church of St. Martin by Jean Biès in the early 18th century. The vineyard was called Clos St-Martin. in 1760 it was sold to Jacques Canon, hence the name Canon. Dhe vineyard, originally 12 hectares, was surrounded by a wall. Kanon expanded his vineyards through the Acquisition of seven small surrounding vineyards. Finally, in 1770, Kanon sold his vineyards at a considerable profit to Raymond Fontémoing, a leading Libournais négociant. The name - still Clos St-Martin - was not changed until 1853.

in 1919, André Fournier acquired the estate. For many decades, the lands remained in the hands of the Fournier family until finally, in the early 1990s, problems with wine diseases arose and the Fournier family was forced to sell to the Chanel fashion group in 1996. 

Important figures about the Château Canon

• 21.5 hectares of vines
• 60% Merlot
• 40% Cabernet Franc
• Annual production of 7.500 bottles of Grand Vin

The vineyard sites

The wines of Château Canon are mainly located on the southwestern limestone terrace of Saint-Emilion. Due to the altitude of max. 87 m.a.s.l., the vines grown here enjoy optimal cooling. The walls surrounding them protect the vines from frost. The soils are limestone and clay. Due to the south-western exposure, the vines are exposed to many hours of sunshine, which allows the grapes to ripen better. The average age of the vines is 25 years. Selective green harvesting removes excess grape material, allowing the remaining grapes to ripen better.

The harvest at Château Canon

The grape material is already selected on the vine, and after the harvest, further strict grape selection takes place. The maceration takes place in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in oak barrels for up to 20 months before being bottled without filtration. The barrels are partly new and partly used.

In recent years, the technical equipment has been updated.