Château Pontet Canet, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2021

Name: Château Pontet Canet, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
Brand: Château Pontet Canet
Price: 548.74 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2011 2012 2015 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

In one sense Pontet Canet 2021 is a huge success. The team here overcame huge mildew pressure, always a challenge for biodynamically farmed estates. Justine Tesseron explained that their teas (herbal treatments) were largely effective - only 15% of the crop was lost, a huge improvement on years like 2016 and 2018. The wine itself is less triumphant. Initially a block of oak. Totally impenetrable and dominated by tannins. Dark and brooding, there are hints of dried raspberry poking through the overriding notes of coffee granules, dark earth and nori. You have to look quite hard, but there is some quality fruit here, and there is acidity, but the dryness is so domineering. It proved divisive in our team. Some felt this will resolve and come good, others didn't see a future. Time will tell... 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. 50% new oak, 35% amphora, 15% one year old barrels.

critic reviews

94/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2021 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly unfurls to reveal expressive notes of crunchy black cherries, fresh blueberries, and black raspberries, leading to suggestions of wet slate, black olives, rose petals, and cardamon. The light to medium-bodied palate is bright and lively, with wonderfully pure black fruit and mineral-inspired flavors and a fine-grained texture, finishing with a floral lift.

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2050

date of review 04/2024

93/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2021 Pontet Canet, which contains a little more Petit Verdot than usual, was bottled in July. It has a very attractive bouquet with pure black fruit, cedar and light iris flower scents. It is not powerful, yet there is elegance here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a crisp line of acidity. Just a hint of mocha lurks in the background, but there is a satisfying, almost citric freshness toward the finish. Suggestions of graphite linger on the aftertaste. I have not spared Pontet Canet from criticism in recent vintages, but that said, I really warmed to this 2021, and it should age with style.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2050

date of review 02/2024

95/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Bright berry red in colour, nuanced blackberry and loganberry with bitter black chocolate notes from the first attack. Lovely precision, good level of spice, earthy, unfussy, rose stem and blackcurrant bud. This was the third vintage with mildew pessure, but the team are now experienced, and I can attest to seeing the vines during harvest and remarking on how healthy they looked, with no-till farming helping concentration. Plenty of tannins give structure and are shot through with sinew and juice, this is an impressive wine from technical director Mathieu Bessonet, with Pauillac typicity. Harvest 24 september until 12 October. 50% new oak, 35% amphora, 15% one year barrels, 15% press (aged in the amphora).

DRINKING WINDOW 2026 - 2044

date of review 05/2022

91-93/100William Kelley,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 Medoc's most singular, idiosyncratic wines, it will be interesting to see how it performs in bottle.

date of review 04/2022