Château Pontet Canet, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2011

Name: Château Pontet Canet, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
Brand: Château Pontet Canet
Price: 345.53 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2011 2012 2015 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Alfred Tesseron has lifted the reputation of this fifth growth property up to that of a ‘super second’. Along with Lynch Bages, this has become one of the most sought after wines year on year. 100% Bio-dynamic, with large parcels worked by horses; Melanie explained that there was no delestage, no pigeage and no de-leafing in 2011. Produced from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2011 has been cropped at 32hl/ha, so there will be 25% less wine than in 2010. There is lovely perfume here; notes of cassis, sweet earth and violets. On the palate, perfumed purple fruit caresses the mouth; there is tremendous depth of fruit and lots of dry extract. Although this is intense and profound, it possesses a fine boned structure and a laciness to the tannins. One is left with sweet cassis and fine minerals. Another magnificent Pontet Canet.

critic reviews

89/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2011 Pontet Canet has a well-defined bouquet with brambly red fruit, tar and tobacco, classic in style, maybe just missing a little flair? The palate is sweet and rounded in texture, quite extractive with mulberry and gamey notes, fairly bretty towards the almost Rhône-like finish. This is difficult to fathom out, not an unenjoyable wine for sure, yet it is missing typicité. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.

DRINKING WINDOW 2022 - 2032

date of review 04/2022

94/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

A lighter-framed vintage than the 2010, and you see it even in the colour of the wine, that is still young but has a trace of rose-pink around the edging. Love the aromatics of smoke, chamomile, and fragrant violet. Touches of russet, autumn-tinged leaf alongside earthy red cherry and raspberry. This is a good choice for drinking now, but it will age because there are plenty of finely placed and integrated tannins. I gave this 95 points last time I tasted this in February 2021, and it is easily one of my favourite 2011s but there is austerity here. Harvest September 15 to 29, with a little more Merlot in the blend than is usual after a dry but not overly hot summer followed by a tricky harvest. 90% of the crop went into this wine, far higher than the first wine of many classifieds in the vintage.

DRINKING WINDOW 2021 - 2042

date of review 10/2021

93/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Deep garnet in color, the 2011 Pontet-Canet comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of redcurrant jelly, warm cassis and blackberry pie plus touches of dried mint, mocha, smoked meats and yeast extract with a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has bags of energy with lively red and black fruits and compelling mineral accents, finishing long with a provocative lift.

DRINKING WINDOW 2020 - 2040

date of review 05/2020