Château Canon St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B 1961

The colour is still full of vigour, and it is only on tipping the glass to the side that you see the amber edging. This is walnut and polished furniture, walking in to an old library, just another planet of aromatics (and this is a bottle, not even a magnum, although it was reconditioned in 1990). It is so gentle, and yet so evocative. It just holds on, and kicks right in with clarity, power, and a noble bitterness on the finish, a real sense of contrast between tannins, acidity and sweet strawbery fruits. This is not in any way tired, just a feeling of energy and an invitation to enjoy the beauty of tertiary flavours without being oxidised. Paul Cazenave was cellar master at the time (at this time cellar master would routinely split their time across 4 or 5 different estates across Pomerol and St Emilion). I am giving you a drink by date, but it’s lasted this long so we can have confidence in its continuing to deliver.