Château Pontet-Canet 2020

Kommentar

This is integrated, with superb density and beauty, offering blackcurrant, mineral and some bark. Full-bodied, yet so polished and refined. Crushed stone. Lots of expression and texture to this wine. Creamy. Pure and precise. Elegant, yet layered. Slightly plusher than the 2019. Dense, yet agile. Fresh as always. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. 50% new oak 15% old oak and 35% concrete amphorae.

Kommentar

The 2020 Pontet-Canet is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new French oak barriques, 35% concrete amphorae and 15% in one-year-old barrels. Harvest began on the 14th September for the Merlot, and the final lot of Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested on 30th September. Opaque purple-black in color, it needs significant aeration and swirling to coax out evocative notes of black cherry preserves, raspberry pie, blackcurrant pastilles and damp soil, before launching into gorgeous floral and spice notions of red roses, cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom, with a waft of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate reveals a lot of depth and polish, delivering mouth-coating red and black fruits with loads of fragrant earth and floral sparks, framed by velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and mineral tinged. This is a singular, fascinating expression of the vintage and highly recommended! Drinking window : 2026 – 2056. Lisa Perrotti-Brown.

Kommentar

Highly successful Pontet, one of the few Pauillacs that, for me, overperforms on its 2019. Inky purple with ruby reflections in colour. Lots of firm but upright tannins, a good dollop of graphite, pencil lead and cassis bud, there is depth through the mid palate shot through with wild blackberry, hawthorn, sage, rosemary and wild mint. It has personality, and is a little old school in the best possible way. Recommended. They have avoided the over-concentrated feel of some Pauillacs in the vintage, while remaining true to the appellation. 4% Petit Verdot completes the blend, 50% new oak 35% amphoras, 15% one-year barrels. First full vintage for Mathieu Bessonnet who replaced the previous long-term director Jean-Michel Comme in 2020. 100% first wine, as it has been for the past four years. 45% will be aged in new oak barrels, 15% one year, 40% in amphoras. The mildew pressure was stressful in the early part of the year, but they had learnt from 2018, and brought in the manpower to get around the whole vineyard in a (very long) day, so their yields ended up being close to normal. Drinking Window 2028 - 2042. Jane Anson.

Kommentar

Viel Subtilität in diesem Bouquet! Er ist filigran, komplex und offenbart Nuancen von Teeblättern und Kakaopulver. Mit etwas Luft gewinnt er an Fruchtintensität. So offenbart es Noten von Blaubeeren, schwarzer Johannisbeercreme und sogar Traubensaft! Schließlich sind auch Nuancen von Graphit wahrnehmbar. Am Gaumen ist der Wein fein, schmackhaft und saftig im Auftakt. Die Tannine sind fest, dicht und geben eine gewisse Fülle, während die Säurestruktur die Lebendigkeit und den aromatischen Ausdruck unterstützt. Das Terroir ist auch im Abgang präsent, wo Pontet Canet durch seine Frische und Ausdauer hervorsticht. Ein präziser, linearer und vielversprechender Wein. 2027-2050 95-97/100.

Kommentar

Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Nez moyennement aromatique, au fruité frais. Moelleux à l’attaque, juteux en milieu de bouche, très savoureux, le vin caresse le palais, charnu, charmant, parfumé, avec du goût en finale. Très belle longueur sans angle tannique.