2023 Chateau Pontet Canet - 5eme Cru Pauillac

Decanter.com – 97 pts – PK: *The longest harvest ever at this estate, and it paid off magnificently: lovely red berry and mint freshness, the Cabernet Franc coming to the fore. On the palate, it shows freshness and gorgeous wet stone salinity that rises above many other Pauillac peers. The acidity is very well managed and felt in a tangy (rather than tart) fashion and the wine exhibits superlative ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with tannic finesse as well as structure for the long haul. Normally the estate needs three or four days to harvest the Merlots but extra care was a taken - picking over a 10 day period for the Merlots - to obtain only the very best for the blend, resulting in veritable juiciness, too.* - 04/2024

Falstaff Magazin – 97 pts – PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubongranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randufhellung. Reifes Cassis, Brombeerkonfit, etwas Nugat, feine Kräuterwürze ist unterlegt. Komplex, saftig, reife schwarze Herzkirschen, reife Tannine, feine Extraktsüße, frisch und lange anhaftend, rotbeerige Nuancen, straff, sicheres Reifepotenzial.* - 05/2024

Vinum Magazin – 97/100 pts: *Tiefdunkel und reiffruchtig strahlt Pontet Canet auch dieses Jahr, tiefgründig im Duft, reichhaltig am Gaumen, das ist ein Fruchtkonzentrat, getragen von einem massiven Tanningerüst, druckvoll, dabei tänzerisch leicht, knackig, saftig, salin und endlos lang. Einmal mehr ein berührendes Weinerlebnis, das für eine kleine Ewigkeit halten dürfte.*

Vinous.com – (94-97) pts – AG: *The 2023 Pontet-Canet is a powerful, impressively constituted wine. Dark, vibrant and sensual in the glass, the 2023 is somber and mysterious in bearing. Black plum, gravel, lavender, graphite and licorice all meld together in the glass. More than anything else, the 2023 is incredibly well put together. In this vintage, the wine was blended at the beginning of élevage rather than at the end, as was the custom in the past. This is a gorgeous and hugely promising Pontet-Canet. I especially admire its finely cut precision and soaring aromatics.* - 04/2024

Vinous.com – (93-95) pts – NM: *The 2023 Pontet Canet, which underwent a 34 day harvest (see producer profile for detailed info), has a very pure bouquet with dark cherries, blackcurrant and touches of vanilla, cohering over the course of ten minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with very supple tannins matched by a keen line of acidity. There is plenty of creaminess on the mid-palate, fine grip and a pinch of black pepper toward the finish. Moderate in length, there’s lovely linearity here and an underlying salinity that becomes evident with continued aeration. Very fine.* - 04/2024

Thewinecellarinsider.com – (95-97) pts – JL: *Flowers, cedar, tobacco leaf, black with red currants, and a hint of smoke create the perfume. The palate is full-bodied, ripe, round, and loaded with sweet, fresh, elegant, juicy, pure, black cherries, and blackberries. The wine is relaxed. Nothing is forced. Everything is in the right place. The tannins are long, there is sweetness, length, and nuances of black currants, chocolate, licorice, and mint that make an appearance in the lengthy finish. The wine blends 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.13.8% ABV, pH 3.75. Harvesting took place September 7 - October 10. This is the earliest, as well as the longest harvest in the history of the estate. The success of the vintage is due to the ability to wait for maturity on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The wine is aging in a combination of 50% new, French oak barrels, and 35% Amphora. Drink from 2029-2060.* - 05/2024