TN: Canon La Gaffeliere 2001 13.5% alcohol (St. Emilion--mainly merlot and cab franc, and a little cabernet sauvignon)
Color is still rich a purple and the wine shows a lot of legs in the glass. Intoxicating nose of dark berries, cocoa, mushroom/loam.
Velvety rich mouthfeel, really a joy to drink; if anything this is still too young (so don’t believe write-ups on web). Cigar box, maybe a little plum with the dark berries; long finish, in which the resolved tannins combine elegantly with the mushroom, a hint of green tea showing through at the end.
The most striking thing is the almost perfect balance among the flavors. The mushroom, the hints of chocolate, the berries combine harmoniously in just the right proportions to offset the wine’s slightly weighty character that might give some Bordeaux traditionalists pause.
I first had this at Ryan M’s going away. Mike H was kind enough to bring the 2000, and it rekindled my interest in Bordeaux (the flames of which last summer's Mocool only further fanned).