2018 Pontet Canet
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Tasting notes
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Savoury, almost oily, note on the nose. Then very broad, sweet and opulent on the palate with a note of dill. Not quite harmonious – yet? – but with a dramatic set of ingredients ready to gel. Leathery finish. (JR)
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Blackish garnet. Very ripe, almost agricultural nose. And some sandpaper tannin on the end – is this an amphora effect? Certainly very distinctive! By no means unpleasant; just very different from the norm. Marked tannin. (JR)
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Harvest 24 September to 5 October. Two-thirds of the crop was lost to mildew. A sort of essence of Pontet-Canet – what you imagine a special cuvée would be. Deep, purple-black colour to the rim. Dense and intense on the nose with a bit of reduction at first but gradually opens to cassis and black olive. Lots of dry extract, the tannins firm, dense and powerful. A bit too much of everything but should age. (JL)
About the producer
Ch. Pontet-Canet is one of Pauillac’s top estates, and one of its largest at 81 hectares. Although classified as a Fifth Growth, these days it consistently competes with the First Growths