Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, Saint Emilion, France.

What girl isn't thrown for a loop meeting the suave and debonair, Count Stephan von Neipperg, Owner of Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere, Premier Grand Cru Classe.

Having met Stephan in Vancouver at the Le Cinq dinner hosted by the Commanderie De Bordeaux wine club at Gerry Sayers & Ernst Dorfler's magnificent Five Sails Restaurant in Pan Pacific Hotel, I had the pleasure of visiting him again at his Estate in Saint-Emilion, where he toured me through the winery during the harvest processing, and we tasted some of the latest vintages.

I dined at his home with the lovely Mrs. von Neipperg who hosted a beautiful intimate luncheon at their home, where afterwards I retired to their Bavarian style family room to finish up the visit and learn more about their exquisite wines.

The von Neipperg family acquired the winery in 1970, continuing the family tradition under the management of Stephan since 1985. The latest vintages will be exciting to try considering the wacky weather experienced during the summers of 2015 and 2016, which has instigated the use of high tech weather detection systems to warn against storms and hail.

Historically, the organic vintages have been a blend of red grapes - Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, temperature controlled wooden vat fermentation, malolactic fermentation and ageing in new oak barrels for approx. 15 -18 months depending on the vintage. A lovely bold, full bodied red at any vintage.