Chateau Pontet-Canet, Pauillac Red, 750ml, Bordeaux,France
A Chosen Land
The Pontet-Canet vineyard, located in the commune of Pauillac, covers 81 hectares (200 acres). It is made up of around one hundred plots and 800,000 vines looking out over the Gironde estuary. At the heart of the Pontet-Canet terroir known as the “plateau”, a gentle broad outcrop of Garonne gravel soil dating from the Günz era that sits on a bedrock of limestone.
OWNERS: Alfred Tesseron and his children Justine and Noé, his nieces Mélanie and Philippine GENERAL MANAGER: Justine Tesseron
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Mathieu Bessonnet
WINEMAKING CONSULTANT: Michel Rolland
SURFACE OF THE VINEYARD : 81 ha
METHOD OF VITICULTURE : Certified Organic: Ecocert & Biodynamic: Biodyvin and Demeter
SOILS : Quaternary Gravel
SOILS MAINTENANCE : Shallow tillage
PRUNING: Double Guyot - Médocain style
AVERAGE AGE OF VINES : 50 years old
PLANTATION DENSITY: 9500 vines per ha
HARVESTS : By hand in small crates
VINIFICATION: Manual sorting and destemming. Alcoholic Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, maceration of 4 weeks with soft punching-down, malolactic fermentation in vats.
AGING: 50% in new oak barrels, 35% in concrete amphoras, 15% in one wine oak barrels - 16 to 18 months
Country of Origin:
France
Region / Appelation / Cru:
Bordeaux / Medoc / Pauillac
Certification:
AOC (Appellation D'Origine Controlee). Grand Cru Classe
Grape Varieties:
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc & 2% Petit Verdot
Alcohol:
2019 Vintage: 13%
2020 Vintage: 13.5%
Producer:
Chateau Pontet-Canet
Ratings:
Vintage 2019:
James Suckling: 99pts:
The aromas to this are really amazing, with a potpourri of spices and dried flowers, as well as redcurrants, sweet plums and even some peaches. Full-bodied with layers of ripe fruit and ultra-fine tannins that spread across the palate in an encompassing yet always elegant and pure way. It's succulent and unadulterated. Like crushed, perfectly ripened grapes. The length is rather endless. The tannins build. Fabulous young red. 35% in amphora and the rest in 50% new oak and 15% one-year oak. 65% cabernet sauvignon and 30% merlot, the rest cabernet franc and petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes.
by James Suckling, JS, 2022.
Vinous Media: 96pts:
The 2019 Pontet-Canet was so effusive and generous en primeur. Today, though, it is quite reticent. That won't be an issue for those who can be patient, but patience indeed will be the key here. Dark red fleshed fruit, tobacco, cedar, spice, kirsch, mint and blood orange gradually open with a bit of coaxing. Imposing tannins wrap it all together. The 2019 is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty, but it needs time.
by Vinous Media, AG, 2022.
Wine Enthusiast: 98pts:
The wine is so perfumed, with ripe tannins set beside the black currant purity. The wine does have weight but the fruit is so refined and vibrant. Tannins give a core for aging, offering the structure and the density of a very fine wine. Organic and biodynamic.
by Wine Enthusiast, RV, 2022.
Wines Spectator: 94pts:
Very lush out of the gate, with waves of gently mulled plum, blackberry and black currant fruit that roll through slowly, lined with alder, sweet tobacco, worn cedar and singed savory notes. Delivers a late tug of iron that's well-buried on a finish marked by lingering perfume, resulting in an end impression of a rich wine that's very light on its feet. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
by Wine Spectator, JM, 2022.
Wine Advocate: 93pts
The 2019 Pontet-Canet offers up an expressive bouquet of plummy fruit, kirsch, dried herbs and peonies. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and seamless, with melting tannins, succulent acids, and a long, liqueured finish. Tasted twice, it's a wine I find somewhat perplexing: in a blind tasting, I might be more inclined to place it in Gigondas than Pauillac. I'm far from dogmatic when it comes to what the French call "typicite," and stylistic diversity surely enriches every appellation; but by the same token, I'm not convinced that this is the most compelling aesthetic that a Cabernet-based blend from this part of Bordeaux can realize. Checking in at 13.7% alcohol, some 35% of the production was matured in amphorae, which no doubt contributes to the wine's idiosyncratic identity.
by Wine Advocate, WK, 2022
Vintage 2020:
Jeb Dunnuck 97+pts:
The flagship from this estate, the 2020 Chateau Pontet-Canet is a beauty based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 50% new oak, with 35% in amphora. Deep purple-hued with a great nose of dark currants, plums, tobacco leaf, and truffly earth, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel and a great finish. The higher Merlot content here really shows in its overall sexy, supple, seamless style, and while this already offers pleasure, it's going to be one for the ages as well.
by Jeb Dunnuck, JD, 2023
James Suckling 98pts:
Aromas of blackcurrants and black cherries with hints of crushed walnuts, grilled thyme, cocoa powder and graphite. It's full-bodied with layers of ultra-fine, silky tannins that elegantly coat your palate, allowing the juicy and vibrant fruit to shine. Delicate and pristine, yet compact with lots of energy and power to uncover in the coming years. It lasts for minutes and is delicious now. The purity of fruit is really impressive. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. 50% new oak 15% old oak and 35% concrete amphorae.
by James Suckling, JS, 2023.
Wine Advocate 96-98+pts:
Opaque purple-black in color, it needs significant aeration and swirling to coax out evocative notes of black cherry preserves, raspberry pie, blackcurrant pastilles and damp soil, before launching into gorgeous floral and spice notions of red roses, cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom, with a waft of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals a lot of depth and polish, delivering mouth-coating red and black fruits with loads of fragrant earth and floral sparks, framed by velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral tinged. This is a singular, fascinating expression of the vintage and highly recommended!
by Wine Advocate, LPB, 2021.
Wines Enthusiast: 97pts
The magnificent structure and balance of this wine are powerful. It shows poise between the black fruits and the freshness of the vintage, while the texture is almost velvet. The wine is juicy and seriously structured at the same time.
by Wine Enthusiast, RV, 2023
Vintage 2022:
James Suckling 99pts;
What a finish on this Pontet-Canet. So much energy and brightness. It's full-bodied yet so tight and focused with superb fruit and transparency. It is racy and fine with super fine texture. It's like crushed cabernet sauvignon with cassis, tobacco and cigar box. Licorice and spices. Freshness of the seed. 57% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 4% cabernet franc, and 4% petit verdot.
by James Suckling, JS, 2023
Vinous Media 95-97pts;
The 2022 Pontet-Canet is a surprising wine. Usually much more opulent, especially in warm, dry years, the 2022 comes across as restrained and understated. It is a wine of linear intensity rather than size, marked by notable freshness and a feeling of tension and precision I don't recall seeing in the past. Clean mineral notes extend the finish effortlessly. I very much admire the precision and vibrancy here. Unforgettable.
by Vinous Media, AG, 2023
Wine Enthusiast 98pts:
Great waves of spice and ripe tannins have been smoothed by the partial aging in amphoras. The wine is full of ripe black fruits with a sense of richness as well as balance. Obviously with great aging potential to go with the purity of the fruit and aromas.
by Wine Enthusiast, RV, 2023
Food Pairing:
Vintage Tasting Notes: