One of my favorite vintages from this incredible terroir located on the upper plateau of Saint-Emilion, the 2009 Château Canon is just about pure perfection in a glass. It delivers a monster bouquet of blackberries, raspberries, white truffle, and flowery incense that develops beautifully with time in the glass. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it's still classic Saint-Emilon, offering incredible minerality as well as structure. This brilliant wine can be drunk any time over the coming two decades.

What a gorgeous nose, with sweet and delicate fruits such as sliced plums that turn to milk chocolate and flowers. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, long finish. You want to drink this right away. 75 percent Merlot and 25 percent Cabernet Franc. Barrel tasting.

This is the best Canon since 1982, and it is possibly capable of eclipsing that legendary vintage. It has taken a while for the proprietors, the Wertheimer brothers (the owners of Chanel and the Margaux estate Rauzan-Segla) to get Canon back to its former glory. Yields in 2009 were 35 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest occurred between September 28 and October 5. The blend is 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, with a natural alcohol level of 14%. Dense ruby/purple and full-bodied, with terrific blueberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with spring flower garden scents, with extraordinary density, purity, and a multi-layered texture, this is a prodigious Canon with sweet tannins and lots of viscosity. It should drink well for 30 or more years. Bravo! (Tasted three times.)

Red-ruby color is less dark than most other '09 Saint-Emilions, which to me is not at all a bad thing. Refined, perfumed aromas of redcurrant, almond flower, incense and cinnamon. Enters the mouth light and fresh, displaying attractive red berry and mineral flavors nicely framed by sound acidity. This very well balanced wine seems almost too easy to drink now but has excellent focus and grip, and plenty of inner-mouth energy. No doubt it will develop more complexity and depth with bottle age. Almost Burgundian in style, this is a subtle wine of real substance and nuance, made in a less showy style that is not out to grab headlines. One of the most successful Canons in a long time.

Definite wood aromas, the fruit buried under the high toast flavors. This gives dryness as well as extract. The wine comes across hard, tight, almost dark in character.