2002 - Grand Vin Magnum
2002 - Grand Vin Magnum
Rave Reviews:
"The 2002 is structured and elegant, with dense tannins, full in the mouth, lightly spiced, well-bouqueted, with notes of blackberry and undergrowth — combining backbone and velvety texture on the palate."
Dussert-Gerber, 2006
"Deep colour, fruity nose, well-structured palate, dense tannins."
L'Épicurien, 2008
🥈 Silver Medal – Challenge International Blaye-Bourg 2002
The 2002 Vintage: A Wine Earned, Not Given
The 2002 growing season in Lalande-de-Pomerol was one of the most challenging in recent memory. A cold, wet spring disrupted flowering, reduced yields, but summer brought little relief: an uncommonly cold, damp season with August rain and outbreaks of rot.
What saved the vintage was patience and a stroke of late luck. Four weeks of warm, sunny weather in September turned what could have been a disastrous vintage into something altogether more interesting: days were warm and sunny, with a north-easterly breeze that kept rot at bay and helped concentrate the grapes. Those who held their nerve and harvested at the right moment were rewarded.
At Château Canon Chaigneau, we produced a wine of remarkable concentration and character. Two decades on, and in Magnum format, that patience has paid off in full. The structure that defined its youth has softened into something graceful; the spice and dark fruit of Néac's clay-limestone soils still very much present, now wrapped in a silky, integrated texture that only time, and the right bottle size, can deliver.
Tasting Notes:
Structured, spiced, and beautifully preserved. A wine of quiet confidence — dense tannins softened by two decades in Magnum format, with a finish that lingers.
Wine Profile:
Fruitness: 2/5 (1 = earthy, 5 = fruity)
Body: 4/5 (1 = Light Body, 5 = Heavy Body)
Aroma:
Ripe blackberries
Plums
Velvet
Food Pairing:
A wine with this kind of age and weight demands something equally considered. Slow-braised Dongpo pork, Peking duck served whole, or a dry-aged beef short rib with black garlic all rise to meet it.
For a Western table, slow-roasted beef rib with Bordelaise sauce or venison stew with juniper are the natural anchors — rich, slow, and unhurried, just like the wine itself.
Guide Hachette 2006 — "After a fresh, fruity attack, the palate is quickly dominated by oak as well. This characterful wine will need 2 years to settle."
Dussert-Gerber 2006 — "The 2002 is structured and elegant, with dense tannins, full in the mouth, lightly spiced, well-bouqueted, with notes of blackberry and undergrowth — combining backbone and velvety texture on the palate."
L'Épicurien 2008 — "Deep colour, fruity nose, well-structured palate, dense tannins."
Appreciation (estate notes) — "Deep ruby with a brilliant hue. Intense, lightly oaked bouquet. Complex nose dominated by spiced notes of blackberry and undergrowth. A full, elegant palate — intense tannins and beautiful structure make this a wine that is both characterful and highly enjoyable."
"A wine from 2002 that has had over two decades to find itself, and it has. In Magnum, it ages even more slowly, which means what you're opening now is the best version of what this vintage was always capable of. A collector's bottle, and a genuinely rare one."
A Unique Terroir
The Néac plateau. One of the finest wines of the appellation, and one of the best value wines in France - medium bodied, not over extracted, complex, suave & extremely drinkable, typically with notes of truffle, black fruits, spice and cacao.
A Legendary Winemaker
Thierry Garnaud was maître de chai at Cheval Blanc from 1988 – 2018, responsible for such 100 Point Legends as the 1990, '98, 2000, '03, '05, '06, '08, '10, '15 & 2016.
Join Our Family! ❤️
