2016 Chateau Pontet Canet - 5eme Cru Pauillac

Decanter.com – 98 pts – PK: *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.* - 09/2021

Falstaff Magazin – 97 pts – PM: *Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarter Wasserrand. Verführerische, aber nicht überlautes Cassis, ein Hauch von reifen Feigen, feiner Nougat, kandierte Orangenzesten im Hintergrund. Saftig, elegante Textur, süße Brombeeren, feiner Nougat, reife, gut eingebaute Tannine, bestechend Länge, feine Mineralität im Nachhall, bleibt haften, wirkt allerdings insgesamt noch etwas unterentwickelt, aber Vorfreude ist bekanntlich die beste Freude. (2025 -2060)* - 01/2022

Vinum Magazin – 20/20pts: *Das Paradoxale an diesem Wein: trotz aller seiner Kraft, Frische und Fülle hat man den Eindruck, in bereits jetzt geniessen zu können, die Tannine sind mächtig, doch besitzen Schliff, das Ganze ist enorm komplex und doch beeindruckend offensichtlich, das Finale belebend, blumig, fruchtig... Erinnert mehr und mehr an einen grossen Vosne (das heisst, einem Pauillac, der gestern mit Übermorgen verbindet) superb.* - 06/2019

WeinWisser – 19/20pts - GL: *Blickdichtes Rubinrot mit violetten Reflexen. Intensives Bouquet mit blauen Früchten wie reife Pflaumen und Sauerkirsche, süßer Tabak, dann auch erdige und zunehmend florale Noten. Am Gaumen kraftvoll und engmaschig verwoben mit fes tem Tanninkorsett und reifem, feinsprödem Extrakt, ist mit Muskeln und ordentlich Fleisch bepackt, fast schon kalifornischen Al lüren der edlen Art.* – 04/2021

JancisRobinson.com – 17,5+/20pts – JL: *A strapping, broad-shouldered wine. Purple-black to the rim. Pronounced blackcurrant-pastille aroma and flavour. Enormous depth, the palate full and intense, the fruit sweet but a saline edge on the finish. Exudes power with its massive tannic frame. Certainly not for the faint-hearted but has the capacity to age.* - 09/2021

JamesSuckling.com - (98-99)pts - JS: *Vivid and full of energy with blackberry, currant and salt. Full body, intense and long. Harmony. Purpose. Classicism. The mineral and currant character is all year. A seamless tannin texture. Great wine. You want to drink it now!* - 04/2017
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JamesSuckling.com – 97 pts – JS: *The aromas of ripe blackcurrants, iodine, sweet tobacco and fresh flowers are spellbinding. Full-bodied with mouth-expanding, 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.* - 12/2019

Vinous.com – 99 pts – AG: *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.* - 12/2018

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - (95-97)pts - NM: *The 2016 Pontet-Canet is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Petit Verdot and 39% Merlot, less Cabernet this year because of the size of the berries. I tasted the wine on two visits to the property around two weeks apart, plus additional tastings at négoçiants. It has an intense bouquet with layers of blackberry, sloes and fresh mint, just a hint of black truffle in the background. It is certainly a little more opulent compared to its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, a little spicier than I expected (in a positive sense) with gentle grip in the mouth. It fans out with confidence, a voluminous Pontet-Canet with an extremely persistent aftertaste, and a saline and balsamic finish. This is an extravagant Pauillac for the vintage that will age over many years.* - 04/2017
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Vinous.com – 96pts - NM: *The 2016 Pontet-Canet was bottled in July 2018. Jean-Michel Comme says it is the best vintage in recent years, a reference point for the estate, with more definition and precision than the 2010 Pontet-Canet. I do like the bouquet here: very pure and precise, the oak nicely integrated, subtle floral scents emerging with time. In the background there is a touch of fresh fig, conveying the warmth of that summer but not impeding upon the terroir expression. The palate is very well balanced and extremely pure, with fine tannin and an almost satin-like texture; the acidity here is well judged. A subtle spiciness becomes more pronounced toward the finish, which exerts gentle grip. This is a very sophisticated Pontet-Canet, easily the finest from Alfred Tesseron and winemaker Jean-Michel Comme in recent years.* - 01/2019

Thewinecellarinsider.com – 99 pts – JL: *Almost opaque in color, the wine kicks off 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.* - 07/2022