Château Canon Saint Emilion 1940

Walnut, leather, cold ash, the most gentle caress of a wine… melted tannins, smoked toffee, grilled almonds, saffron and tumeric. There are still fruits here, if you are patient, majoring on wild strawberries and brambled loganberry. The bottle is not perfect – acidity is a little spiky, and there are earthy notes on the soft finish – but all the more enjoyable for it. There is likely to have been some Cabenet Sauvignon along with the Merlot and Cabernet Franc at the time, and alcohol is an estimation but will have barely risen above 11 or 12%. A moving glimpse into a World War II havest – the Germans had arrived in St Emilion in June 1940, just on the Occupied side of the demarcation line, and many of the leading estates had been requisitioned; Ausone; Berliquet and almost certainly Canon. Harvest and winemaking would have been carried out largely by local women, children and the elderly. The score I have given here is meaningless in so many ways – most of us would rightly take an 87 point 1940 wine over a 98 point of any recent vintage.