Château Pontet Canet, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac, 2024

Name: Château Pontet Canet, 5ème Cru Classé, Pauillac
Brand: Château Pontet Canet
Price: 360 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2011 2012 2015 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Pontet Canet turned a corner last year with what we thought was the best effort since the magnificent 2010. Were pleased to report that wasn’t a flash in the pan, the 2024 is another strong showing. As early adopters of biodynamic principles, the team at Pontet has had to become adept at dealing with mildew pressures. It must have been challenging in 2024, but they succeeded and have produced a fine Pauillac. They bled 10% of the tanks and used a touch of chaptalisation. Otherwise, it was quite a normal vinification resulting is a reserved bouquet of sweet griotte, wildflowers and an abundance of bright cherry fruit. The sweet-fruited profile is beautifully balanced with judicious, powdery tannins that enhance and elongate the fruit's natural vibrancy. A good effort. Produced from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

critic reviews

94-96/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

Deep garnet-purple colored. Strolls confidently out of the glass with notes of ripe, juicy plums, wild blueberries, and red currants, leading to suggestions of lilac, cardamom, fertile loam, and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and fresh with wonderfully plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2049

date of review 05/2025

93-95/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2024 Pontet Canet was picked between September 26 and October 11. It matured in 50% new oak, 15% used oak and 35% in concrete amphoras. It has a very pure bouquet with black cherry, wild strawberry, cassis and light violet scents vying for attention. This is not quite as complex as the '22 I tasted a few months earlier. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins on the entry, a keen line of acidity and veins of blue fruit commingling with black pepper and light graphite notes. Cohesive on the finish, there is an attractive linearity to this Pontet Canet, with satisfying sustain that delivers about as much precision as anyone could hope for in this vintage. Give this two or three years once in bottle, and drink over the next 15.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2049

date of review 05/2025

94/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Vibrant ruby in colour with violet edging, this is beautifully measured, with a careful release of black fruits. Puts the focus on the floral side of Cabernet Sauvignon on the aromatics, with rose petals, chamomile, fragrant tomato leaf and lilac. There is austerity on the opening, with tight architecture but as it opens juice begins to flow through the pumice and slate-textured tannins, and this delivers a finessed, slim-style of Pauillac, with plenty of ageing potential and quiet confidence. Harvest September 26 through to October 11. 3.8ph, 50% new oak, 35% concrete amphoras. One of the successes of the vintage. Tasted twice.

DRINKING WINDOW 2032 - 2046

date of review 04/2025

94-96/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2024 Pontet-Canet underlines the fact that daring to harvest late paid dividends in this challenging vintage, wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, black raspberries and plums mingled with accents of rose petals, licorice and exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and integrated, with mid-palate density that's all too rare this year, it's layered, suave and seamless, concluding with a long, sapid finish. Picking began on September 26 and concluded on October 11, with the heart of the estate's old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon coming in between the seventh and the ninth, well after many chateaux had finished their harvest. Greater reactivity during the season means that Pontet-Canet's vineyards are gaining in vigor, while in the winery, a lighter touch with extraction, systematic climate control and a wholesale refinement of the estate's cooperage choices have brought new harmony and sensuality to this estate's wines. That has combined with a willingness to take risks with harvest dates to deliver what is clearly one of the wines of the vintage. The blend is roughly half Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

date of review 04/2025