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2021 Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (4%), Petit Verdot (6%)
Not ready (Drink 2029 - 2058)
Julia Harding MW
17+/20
Jeb Dunnuck
93-95/100
Neal Martin MW
91-93/100
William Kelley
91-93/100
James Suckling
95-96/100
Jane Anson MW
95/100
Product: 20218007342

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2021 Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac, Bordeaux

Description

Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 32%, Petit Verdot 6%, Cabernet Franc 4%.

As a biodynamic estate whose 2017 vintage was effectively destroyed by mildew, alarm bells may have been ringing here this year – but lessons have been learnt. An in-house tisanerie for the advance preparation of biodynamic treatments, a policy of no-plough and grass between the rows (to absorb as much rain as possible) did the trick, alongside ceaseless monitoring of the bunches. Alfred Tesseron says they were only down 15% on expected yield. As usual, SO2 use is heavily reduced and 35% of the crop is aged in concrete amphorae. This has let the fruit sing, with relaxed aromas of hedgerow, lavender, peony and more savoury hints of coffee and leather. There is no lack of concentration, and every element feels well proportioned.

Our score: 17.5/20

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2021
Alcohol % 13%
Maturity Not ready (2029 - 2058)
Grape List Cabernet Sauvignon (58%), Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (4%), Petit Verdot (6%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Pontet-Canet

Critics reviews

Julia Harding MW 17+/20
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot.Very dark with a purplish rim. Open and fragrant, a touch floral along with fine savoury fruit. Powerful and very different from most of the 2021s in this line-up. Dry, elegantly tannic finish. Drink 2028 - 2043julia_harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (October 2023)
Drink 2028 - 2043
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (Oct 2023)
Jeb Dunnuck 93-95/100
The 2021 checks in as 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, and the ageing consists of 50% in new barrels, 35% in concrete amphora, and the rest in second-fill barrels.The 2021 Château Pontet-Canet is rock solid in the vintage and certainly shows the vibrant, vivid style of the estate today with its bright, exotic blue fruits, violets, and graphite-like aromatics. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, I love its mid-palate density, it has notable freshness and purity, some chalky tannins, and outstanding length. jeb_dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (June 2022)
Drink 2028 - 2043
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (Jun 2022)
Neal Martin MW 91-93/100
The 2021 Pontet Canet is quite perfumed on the finely delineated nose of blackberry, briar and pressed iris flower, a touch of inkwell coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a pinch of white pepper on the entry and gentle grip. Not as enormously deep as other vintages, as you would expect, but it displays a fine bitter edge and a graphite-infused finish. This should drink earlier than other vintages yet has the substance to mature in bottle.Drink 2025 - 2050Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (May 2022)
Drink 2028 - 2043
Neal Martin MW, Vinous.com (May 2022)
William Kelley 91-93/100
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 Médoc's most singular, idiosyncratic wines, it will be interesting to see how it performs in bottle.William Kelley, Wine Advocate (April 2022)
Drink 2028 - 2043
William Kelley, RobertParker.com (Apr 2022)
James Suckling 95-96/100
Plenty of blackberry and blueberry with wet earth and crushed stone. Some spice,tobacco and lead pencil, too. It’s full-bodied with layered tannins and brightness. Fine and chewy at the end.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (May 2022)
Drink 2028 - 2043
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (May 2022)
Jane Anson MW 95/100
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).Drink 2026 - 2044jane_anson_mw, janeanson_com (May 2022)
Drink 2028 - 2043
Jane Anson MW, JaneAnson.com (May 2022)

About this wine

Pauillac

Pauillac

The aristocrat of the Médoc boasts 75 percent of the region’s First Growths, with Grand Cru Classés representing 84 percent of production. Pauillac's First Growths each have their own unique characteristics: Ch. Lafite Rothschild produces the region’s most aromatically-complex and subtly-flavoured wine, while – with its high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon – Ch. Mouton Rothschild can produce a decadently rich, fleshy and exotic wine.
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