2023 Pontet Canet
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Tasting notes
This is incredibly aromatic, with crushed blackberries, wild blueberry and juicy black plum leaping from the glass, followed by gorgeous violet and iris, faint tobacco leaf and fresh thyme. This is a Pontet-Canet with beautiful balance between concentrated bramble fruit and firm, grippy tannins that spread across the palate. With fantastic persistence and length, this wine is built for the long haul. A full degree lower in alcohol compared to 2022 (13.8% vs 14.8%), the wine is so pretty and elegant out of barrel – it will be a treat to see how it evolves. A must-have for the cellar. Blend: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in 50% new oak barrique, 35% in concrete amphorae and the remaining 15% in one-year-old barrels. The 2023 is also the second vintage to be bottled in a lighter bottle which took four years to develop, shaving 320g of weight off (and 32-35 tons of carbon dioxide).
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Meeting the expectations set at the en primeur tastings, the 2023 Pontet-Canet wafts from the glass with a vibrant, perfumed bouquet of cassis, mulberries, rose petals, pencil shavings and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, seamless and pure, it is layered and precise, framed by filigreed tannins and delivering a powerful yet controlled profile that extends into a long, crystalline, licorice-inflected finish. A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, it signals a new aesthetic era for the estate, marked by greater purity, brightness and precision.
A serious, age-worthy Pauillac, the 2023 Château Pontet-Canet is based on 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot, brought up in 50% new French oak, 35% amphora, and the rest in once-used barrels. Its deep purple hue is followed by a classic 2023 style in its aromatics and texture, with black cherries, ripe blue fruits, smoke, tobacco leaf, loamy earth, graphite, and beautiful floral nuances. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a pure, pretty mouthfeel, remarkable elegance and purity, plenty of fine tannins, and a great finish. It already offers pleasure given its purity and vibrancy, but smart money will hide bottles for 5-7 years. It will see its 40th birthday in fine form. Drink 2030-2065.
The 2023 Pontet-Canet envelops the palate with silky tannins as hints of vibrant red-toned fruit, crushed flowers, spice and dried herbs fill out the layers. The 2023 is an exceptionally finessed Pontet-Canet. This is the first vintage in which the Grand Vin was blended early—in December following the harvest—as opposed to just before bottling, which had been the norm. That's one of many changes that resulted in a striking wine endowed with superb finesse. Tasted two times.
About the producer
Ch. Pontet-Canet is one of Pauillac’s top estates, and one of its largest at 81 hectares. Although classified as a Fifth Growth, these days it consistently competes with the First Growths