Pontet Canet Pauillac 2012 France

Chateau Pontet Canet 2012 is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

• Colour: Completely opaque, with a dark, purple sheen.
• Taste: The wine pops with blackberry, crème de cassis, smoke, graphite, licorice, spice and just a tinge of vanilla in the background.
• Finish: Viscous, concentrated, fresh, round, lush and layered with crushed stones and fresh squeezed blackberries, the creamy, plush finish lingers, enticing you to take another sip.

Winemaker Notes

The wine has a deep, glittering hue and a complex nose on which black fruit aromas mingle with graphite and spice notes. The structure on the palate is particularly dense and long, with chiselled tannins of incredible precision. A 2012 of remarkable purity and energy, with fantastic fruit and radiance that take it to the peak. For the first time, Pontet-Canet matured nearly a third of the vintage in concrete amphoras.

Reviews:

RP96, Robert Parker

What is a primeur report without one of Pauillac’s most dynamic estate? I made the trip through the rain to taste their 2012. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot, the latter was cropped from 4th October and the Cabernet Sauvignon from 11th October, finishing six days later. The 50% of the crop once aged in new oak and one-year old barrels are now matured in concrete vats whilst 35% of the crop is aged in clay amphora quarried from their own vineyard. There is certainly great purity and terroir expression on the nose: blackberry, briary and background scents of fresh raspberry and cold stone. The definition is very impressive. The palate is interesting – quite different from the previous vintages. I love the tannins here – very fine but lending the Pontet-Canet great backbone It is utterly harmonious but I feel more understated, perhaps more controlled than recent vintages. The finish is much more introspective – a Pauillac politely informing you to go away and wait before bottling before making any judgement! This is a divine Pontet Canet – very succinct. Tasted April 2013.

95PTS, James Suckling

A wine that makes you want to drink it already. It’s stylish with berries, currants, cedar and stone aromas and flavors. Full body, with very integrated tannins and a long, long finish. A small percentage of the wine is now aged in cement vats instead of oak barrels. This touches all the senses. A beauty. Made from biodynamic grapes.