Château Pontet-Canet 2016

The paradox of this wine: despite all its power, freshness, and fullness, you get the impression you can already enjoy it. The tannins are powerful yet polished; the whole is enormously complex and yet strikingly self-evident. The finish is vibrant, floral, fruity… It increasingly recalls a great Vosne (that is, a Pauillac that connects yesterday with the day after tomorrow), superb.

This is sappy and rich in feel, with waves of red and black currant preserves, raspberry and bitter plum coulis. The long finish drips with sweet tobacco and anise notes, while a brambly layer courses underneath. The vivacious finish shifts into second gear as the fruit and grip come together. Best from 2023 through 2038.

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.

The aromas of ripe blackcurrants, iodine, sweet tobacco and fresh flowers are spellbinding. Full-bodied, with expansive, massive and natural tannins. Impressive fruit with hints of prunes. The finish is long and powerful. Needs six to seven years to soften and come together. Try from 2025.

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.

Almost opaque in color, the wine opens with smoky blackberries, wet earth, underbrush, licorice, black cherry, and currants. Full-bodied, rich, and intense, the wine is incredibly concentrated. Think of placing a magnum of wine into a single bottle! And yet, somehow, everything here is in balance. There is a vibrancy to the fruit that you feel from start to finish. The depth of flavor holds your focus for close to 60 seconds as the wine builds, expands, and paints your palate with flavor. If you are a fan of Pontet Canet, you want this wine in your cellar. When fully mature, this is a candidate for perfection. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV. Drink from 2030-2065.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate watery rim. Seductive but not overly loud cassis, a hint of ripe fig, fine nougat, candied orange zest in the background. Juicy, elegant texture, sweet blackberry, fine nougat, ripe, well-integrated tannins, impressive length, fine minerality on the finish, lingers, but still seems somewhat underdeveloped overall, but anticipation is the best joy. (2025-2060).

Pure and modern nose displaying new oak, fine toast, caramel and coffee with bright dark fruit like cassis, blackberry, and plum, with fine tobacco and stony notes. Very dense palate, intense and vigorous with fine freshness, layers of inky dark berries, liquorice, mocha and polished fine tannin. The finish is very dense, muscular and supremely long.

Kunz barrel sample 17: (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot, 34 hl/ha) Dense, concentrated, complex, sweet, opulent bouquet, black cherries, plums, licorice, mint. Concentrated, lush, velvety, multi-layered palate with a creamy, finely muscled structure, diverse, dark, sweet aromatics, dense fruit, plenty of fine tannins, very long, sweet, opulent finish with lots of lingering aromas.

Oh this is good. We are fully up to 2010 level here and coming close to surpassing it. A full wall of tannins, one of those wines that you have to scale to get to the heights but the views are great at the top. Cassis, bilberry, liquorice, dark chocolate, aniseed, all with a sense of energy and such freshness on the finish. Clear depth and vivacity to all elements of this wine. It needs time, because the tannins are a little forbidding right now, but it is going to be worth the wait. Harvest September 28 to October 12.

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 bursts from the glass with bombastic crème de cassis, stewed plums, and blueberry preserves, giving way to subtle notes 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 with amazing purity.

2016 is immense and shatters the usual points of reference. A deep, energetic wine that bursts with an aromatic profile beyond the customary Bordeaux standards. The palate is multi-dimensional and, above all, of Promethean length.

Clearly, this Pontet-Canet champions two elements: terroir and vintage. The former shows through notes of cedar and graphite, complemented by black-berry aromas. The greatness of the vintage is the second element. The wine stands out for its highly meticulous, precise, and powerful character. Its structure gives it muscle, while its very dense tannins promise a bright future. Patience is required. If you want to enjoy it young, decanting seems unavoidable!

The nose is fruity, elegant, and offers subtle richness as well as fine concentration. It reveals notes of fleshy blackberry and wild strawberry, combined with delicate touches of blackcurrant, crushed small blue berries, licorice, zan, along with discreet hints of spice and nutmeg. The palate is fruity, juicy, beautifully balanced, elegant, precise, and offers lovely definition, energy, a pleasing roundness, fine tension, very fine grain, pure fruit expression, good structure, smoothness, a touch of indulgence, subtle creaminess, richness (yet all in elegance/balance), and a fine glyceric feel. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of cherry, blackberry, fleshy raspberry, and, more slightly, strawberry, combined with small touches of blackcurrant, blackberry, licorice, chocolate, as well as discreet hints of coffee and cardamom (in the background). The tannins are elegant and structuring. Good persistence. A very lovely wine!

Double decanted. Dark, intense, purple color. Intense nose with ripe, fresh fruit. It handled the double decanting well. Notes of blackcurrant, ink, and smoke. Very Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicate on entry, its power slightly diminished by the double decanting; the wine melts on the palate, regaining strength on the finish, yet taking on an austere edge even as it remains classy in overall texture. It's very good.

Another great vintage of the past decade, 2016 is more classic and less exotic than 2015. Suffice it to say that at Pontet-Canet, it reaches near-perfection. The nose is deep and fresh, striking for its purity, revealing precise aromas of blackcurrant juice and red fruits. On the palate, the substance is impressive, with incredible density while remaining fresh and flavorful, and with an endless finish. Best to wait at least until 2026.

97–99. Barrel Sample. This wine is so dense and concentrated, with magnificent fruit. The tannins are velvety, but, at the same time, the wine has a dry side that will allow it to age so well. Juicy blackberries and great tannins work in harmony. The estate is in its seventh vintage certified biodynamic.