This is an excellent second (from a separate plot) wine, bright, poised and delicious. Fruit ripeness is just at the point where it is teetering on the brink between deep, spicy and textured while still remaining fresh and juicy. Great stuff. Mildew made an impact but not drought, so ended up with 40hl/ha yields. Harvest September 4 to 23, 30% new oak. 3.53pH. (Drink between 2023-2036)

(93+ points) The 2020 Croix Canon has turned out magnificently, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cherries, dark berries, raw cocoa and crushed vitamin pills. Medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy, it's layered, seamless and suave, with a succulent core of fruit, sweet tannins and an impressively persistent finish. While it's approachable today, it's built to age with grace.- WK

Dried flowers, black raspberries, kirsch, licorice, citrus rind and spice create the gorgeous nose. On the palate, the medium-bodied wine is even better with its showy display of fresh, silky, red plums, cherries and supple-textured, elegant finish, with just a hint of salty rocks that comes in at the very end of the finish. Drink from 2023-2037. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2020&wine=Croix%20Canon

The deep garnet-purple colored 2020 Croix Canon is a blend of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. It skips out of the glass with bright, expressive notions of juicy black and red plums, boysenberry preserves, and Morello cherries, giving way to wafts of lavender, tapenade, and dusty soil. The full-bodied palate is coated with expressive black berry layers and a soft texture, finishing with a vibrant lift.

The second wine of Château Canon, the 2020 Château Canon Croix Canon is a beauty and is perfect for drinking while you wait on the Grand Vin. Deep purple-hued, with a great nose of ripe black cherries, lead pencil shavings, chalky earth, and tobacco, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, supple mouthfeel, and outstanding length. While it's drinking nicely today, it's not a simple quaffer, and I suspect it will keep for 15 years in cold cellars.

The 2020 Croix Canon has a classy, well-defined bouquet with mineral-driven black fruit and good concentration, but it doesn't try to impose itself too strongly. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and ripe with saturated tannins. It leans more toward the opulent style of Right Bank Bordeaux on the finish but just about manages to pull it off because it retains its freshness. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. - By Neal Martin on January 2024

Dark chocolate and powerful black fruits give this wine density and concentration. They also bring a hard edge that needs to soften. With its smoky character and polished wood texture, the wine is developing well. Drink from 2026. — Roger Voss