Ratings & Tasting Notes:

100 points Wine Enthusiast

A voluptuous wine, this is rich and fruity yet properly balanced by a magnificent structure. Pure, crisp and packed with a black currant flavor, this will be a remarkable wine as it develops. Still young, it needs many years to develop. *Top 100 Cellar Selections 2019, Editors’ Choice* (RV) Review Date: 05/2019

99 points The Wine Independent

The 2016 Pontet-Canet is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it explodes from the glass with bombastic creme de cassis, stewed plums, and blueberry preserves notes, giving way to subtle notions of licorice, lilacs, and damp soil plus a waft of truffles. Full-bodied, it is super concentrated with a lovely line of freshness and ripe, firm, grainy tannins, finishing very long and with amazing purity. (LPB) Review Date: 06/2022

99 points Vinous

The 2016 Pontet-Canet is absolutely breathtaking. Powerful, ample and racy in the glass, the 2016 is one of the most exquisitely well-balanced young Pontet-Canets I can remember tasting. Savory, high-toned aromatics and brisk mineral notes lend energy and delineation as this vivid wonderfully alive wine opens up in the glass. The flavors are dark and incisive, but it is the wine’s total sense of harmony that is most compelling. All of the elements are simply in the right place. The 2016 is tremendous. It’s as simple as that. As is often the case, Pontet-Canet is one of the most singular wines in Bordeaux. Alfred Tesseron could have chosen to play things safe when he took over the management of the estate in the mid-1990s. Instead, he chose a very different path. No proprietor in Bordeaux has taken more risks over the last two decades than Alfred Tesseron. A commitment to biodynamic farming, sustainability across the entire estate more broadly, and the adoption of new concepts for Bordeaux, such as aging a portion of the wine in terra cotta, set Pontet-Canet apart from other properties in Pauillac and the Left Bank. Not surprisingly, the wine is also starkly different from the wines of neighboring estates. (AG) Review Date: 01/2019

98 points Decanter

Top wine of the vertical. Deep, violet hue. Even if the nose is slightly closed, initially, what pure fruit! A degree higher in alcohol than the 2015, but superb balance. The pristine fruit, fine-grained tannins, focus and precision lead to an outstanding finish, surpassing even the 2010. It has the sumptuousness of the 2015, but the arc and tension of the 2010.Great capacity for ageing. Aged 50% new oak , 35% amphora. (PK) Review Date: 09/2021

98+ points Jeb Dunnuck

Reminding me of the 2010 and, I suspect, a wine that will merit a triple-digit rating in a decade or so (I tasted this on multiple occasions and thought it was perfect on one of them), the 2016 Château Pontet-Canet comes from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot that spent 16 months in 50% new French oak, 35% in concrete amphora, and the rest in second fill oak. Thrilling notes of pure crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, crushed mint, graphite, and crushed rock notes all emerge from this deep, powerful, yet elegant Pauillac. The style of this wine has become more and more finesse-driven and pure, yet it hasn’t lost a beat on concentration or length. This singular, beautiful Pontet-Canet needs 7-8 years of cellaring (it has some accessibility today given its purity and balance) and will keep for 4-5 decades. 98+ Review Date: 02/2019

98 points Wine Advocate
Review Date: 05/2020
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Pontet-Canet hits the ground running with a hedonic nose of Black Forest cake, crème de cassis and blueberry pie plus suggestions of candied violets, hoisin, chocolate mint, charcuteries and forest floor with a waft of star anise. Full-bodied, rich, profoundly layered and powerfully fruited, the palate is built like a brick house, with very firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and harmonious freshness, finishing with incredible length and depth. Still incredibly primary and yet already strutting so many layers, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this warrants the three-digit score in a few years’ time. (LPB) 98+

Cult Wines International Notes:

Château Pontet-Canet is a Fifth Growth estate located in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux, adjacent to the renowned Château Mouton Rothschild. While historically a solid performer, the estate has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent decades, becoming a leading proponent of biodynamic farming in Bordeaux. This commitment has elevated its wines to a level of quality that consistently rivals the First Growths.

The vineyard is predominantly planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, which provides the wine’s powerful structure and Pauillac character, complemented by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The estate’s biodynamic practices, which include working the soil with horses instead of tractors and following a lunar calendar, are key to its unique style.

In the glass, Château Pontet-Canet is known for its deep, almost opaque color. The nose is a vibrant expression of concentrated black fruits, such as cassis and blackberry, interwoven with notes of violet, graphite, and a fine minerality. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and muscular, with a remarkable purity of fruit and a powerful, yet elegant, tannic structure. Its balance and intensity lead to a long and complex finish.

Château Pontet-Canet is celebrated for its commitment to natural winemaking and its consistent ability to produce exceptional vintages that reflect the true essence of its terroir. It is a modern classic that offers incredible depth and aging potential, making it a highly sought-after wine for collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.

Condition:

Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold.

Outstanding condition.