Château Pontet-Canet 2021

JEFF LEVE, THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER

The wine opens with flowers, tobacco leaf, currants, herbs, and a touch of spice. Medium/full-bodied, elegant, refined, fresh, and vibrant, there is a gorgeous sense of purity to the red fruits along with vivid freshness and a touch of spice in the endnote. The wine is aging in a combination of 50% new, French oak, and 35% Amphora. The wine is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2028-2055.

ADRIAN VAN VELSEN - VVWINE.CH

VERTDEVIN

The nose is fruity, elegant, racy and reveals a nice purity of fruit, delicacy in its concentration, a very nice finesse of grain, complexity. We find notes of bright blackcurrant, violet and more slightly fresh Morello cherry combined with touches of fleshy/juicy violet plum, liquorice, fine caramelised notes, graphite, racy minerality, subtle hints of crushed berries, discreet hints of bergamot and cherry blossom. The palate is nicely managed, delicate, precise and shows purity, juiciness, freshness, a nice definition, a nice work on the bitter taste, depth, minerality, a nice energy, an acidulous spine, a nice crunchiness/juiciness. On the palate this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy cherry, fresh/crisp Morello cherry and more lightly of purple plum, crisp/juicy raspberry as well as fine nuances of bright wild berries, liquorice, liquorice, vanilla, subtle hints of bergamot, subtle hints of fresh flowers, fresh rose, subtle hints of cardamom, fresh hazelnut, subtle hints of bourbon vanilla. The tannins are supple. Good length. A nice success, a classic wine.

DECANTER MAGAZINE

Gorgeous fragrance on the nose, so perfumed and floral - really vibrant - you can smell the Cabernet and the Petit Verdot on the nose. Juiciness straight away from a burst of high acidity focussed on blackcurrant and black cherry with both a fragrance, spice and minerality following. This really hits you square on - it's not opulent but it’s so fully flavoured, forward and upfront. Tannins are fine-grained but plentiful, they hold the structure and give the frame while the creaminess and freshness gives an expansive aspect to the palate. There's refinement and an aerial quality here despite the clear Pauillac power. The Cabernet fruit is in full shine mode, giving a eucalyptus, perfumed berry and black pepper touch. Structured and supple with grape and terroir characteristics. If you love Pontet, and classic Pauillac claret, this is an impressive reference point. Skilled winemaking from technical director Mathieu Bessonet. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

TIM ATKIN

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Offering up wild, exotic aromas of blackberries, cloves and Indian spices mingled with notions of rose petal, bruised orchard fruit and cherry pit that evolve rapidly in the glass, the 2021 Pontet-Canet is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a layered mid-palate and refined tannins that assert themselves on the firm, saline finish. Always one of the Médoc's most singular, idiosyncratic wines, it will be interesting to see how it performs in bottle.

James Suckling

Plenty of blackberry and blueberry with wet earth and crushed stone. Some spice,tobacco and lead pencil, too. It’s full-bodied with layered tannins and brightness. Fine and chewy at the end.