The winery is located in the southwest of the old town of
Saint-Émilion (Bordeaux) in the area of the same name. The estate was purchased in 1760 by Jacques Kanon (a privateer), who named it "Clos St-Martin" after a nearby church. He sold it ten years later to the
négociant Raymond Fontémoing, who named the property after a property he owned called Château Canon (not the first owner). But it was only from the great-granddaughter that this name was used on the label from 1853 onwards. Finally, the estate was acquired by André Fournier in 1919 (the family was, incidentally, one of the first customers of the oenologist Michel
Rolland). In 1996, Eric Fournier sold it to the Wertheimer family (owners of Chanel), who also owns
Château Rauzan-Ségla in the
Médoc. In the course of the purchase, the vineyards of
Château Curé-Bon were also annexed and highly classified
The then neglected estate was completely renovated, the vineyards were largely replanted, the cellar facilities modernised and the château renovated. In 2011, the neighbouring
Château Matras vineyard was acquired for eight million euros, making it history. In 2012 the estate was classified as "Premier Grand Cru Classé B", but this only applies to the old areas. The aim is to achieve the higher classification also for the Matras areas classified as "Grand Cru Classé". Since 2014 Nicolas Audebert is responsible for the farm as successor of John Kolasa.
The vineyards cover 34 hectares of vineyards, of which 24 hectares are classified (see above). They are planted with Merlot (65%) and Cabernet Franc (35%). Some rows of vines date back to the 1930s. Fermentation takes place at temperatures ranging from 28 to 32 °Celsius in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The extremely long-lasting red wine is aged for 18 months in 50% to 70% new barriques. Its peak only develops after 10 to 15 years. The bottle label is decorated with two crossed gun barrels. The second wine is called "Croix Canon" (previously "Clos Canon") since the 2012 vintage.