2023 Château Pontet-Canet En Primeur
One of the wines of the vintage. 98-100 points" - Jane Anson
Released for sale en primeur, 2023 Château Pontet-Canet continues the trend set by Léoville Las Cases, offered at just £394 per six bottles, a discount of 26% on the 2022 vintage.
The cask tastings at Pontet-Canet always create a sense of occasion (not just because they lay on one of the best lunches of en primeur week). This year, we tasted with Alfred Tesserson himself, who, despite advancing years, had his usual twinkling charm and charisma.
A key decision for many estates this year was whether to pick their Cabernet Sauvignon before or after the rains that came at the end of September. M. Tesseron and his team opted to pick later, and it really shows in the wonderful ripeness of the Cabernet aromas. We found fabulous intensity and purity on the nose in the '23, bringing charm to this otherwise austere, structured wine.
This purity is showcased beautifully by the elevage, carried out in just 50% new oak, with 35% in concrete amphoras and 15% in one-year barrels, allowing the complexity of fruit and terroir aromas to shine through.
Pontet Canet is one of our favourite estates in Bordeaux, and at this price, this potentially perfect new release is a must-buy.
Offered en primeur. Landing spring 2026.
Magnums available with £20 ex-VAT bottling surcharge per six, please enquire for other formats.
All previous offers of 2023 Bordeaux can be found here.
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Pontet-Canet, Cru Classé Pauillac
Château Pontet-Canet is a Cinquièmes Cru Classé in Pauillac. The estate is named after Jean-François de Pontet, Master of the Horse to Louis XV at Versailles. Pontet became Governor of the Médoc and in 1705, he purchased a few acres of land to the north of the village of Pauillac, which he turned into a vineyard. A few years later, he added several parcels in a place called Canet.
The estate was owned by the Cruse family from 1865 until 1975, when it was purchased by Cognac merchant Guy Tesseron. Run since 1994 by Guy's son Alfred Tesseron (with Jean-Michel Comme as his régisseur until May 2020), the estate has been transformed into one of the world's leading practitioners of biodynamics, converting fully in 2004. Along the way, the reputation of this fifth growth has risen to compete with the very best second growths. Pioneering the reintroduction of horses into the vineyards and the use of inert maturation vessels like concrete tanks and amphorae (to reduce oak influence and accentuate terroir), Tesseron has become a thought-leader in the very traditional world of the Crus Classés.
The estate has 81 hectares under vine, planted to 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot on deep gravel with clay and limestone soils.
| RED | 2023 | Château Pontet Canet | 75cl | £394 per case of 6 | Château Pontet Canet 2023 / / 75cl £394 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"The 2023 Pontet Canet, which underwent à 34 day harvest...has a very pure bouquet with dark cherries, blackcurrant and touches of vanilla, cohering over the course of ten minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, with very supple tannins matched by a keen line of acidity. There is plenty of creaminess on the mid-palate, fine grip and a pinch of black pepper toward the finish. Moderate in length, there's lovely linearity here and an underlying salinity that becomes evident with continued aeration. Very fine. 93-95 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"With the 2023 vintage, this estate has crafted a wine of unprecedented aromatic intensity and precision that marks a significant evolution. Revealing an elegant, fresh bouquet of mulberries and cassis mingled with notions of violets, gentian and menthol, the 2023 Pontet-Canet is medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional, with a pure and precise core of fruit that's framed by ultra-refined tannins and a powerful but controlled profile, concluding with long, mineral, licorice-inflected finish. It's the result of more daring harvest decisions than in previous years: By picking the Merlot earlier to highlight fresh, fruity notes rather than baked, sun-kissed flavors and simultaneously delaying the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest until after September 28 to refine tannins, the 2023 Pontet-Canet marks a significant evolution at this renowned estate. At this early stage, its élevage appears to be more discreet, too. This wine, which I'd be delighted to own, is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, matured in 50% new oak barrels, 35% amphorae and 15% once-used barrels. 96-98 points" Yohan Castaing, RobertParker.com------"A very structured Pontet-Canet that expands in the mouth with a gorgeous combination of beautifully ripe fruit and intense tannins. Very structured for the vintage. Fullbodied with excellent presence and length. So much raw pencil shavings to the blackcurrants. Graphite and tar. Fresh and vivid. They picked cabernet at the right time at the end of September. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. 97-98 points" jamessuckling.com------"A wine to convince you of the quality and ripeness of Cabernet Sauvignon in Pauillac in this 2023 vintage, showcasing superbly supple tannins, great balance, depth and savoury blue and black fruit character, bitter cocoa bean, freshly cut herbs, black tea, fennel, all vivid and with purity of character. There is density here but it is not overt, with heightened raspberry leaf, peony and violet aromatics. Vinified in the newly-completed section of the cellars, with sunken qveri-style cement vats (and egg-shaped wooden vats coming for the 2024 vintage). 50% new oak for ageing, with 35% amphora and 15% one year old barrels. One of the wines of the vintage. New lighter bottle as of the 2022 around 490g, down from 815g in the past, 30 tonnes of CO2 saved just in terms of production. Harvest September 7, one day earlier than 2022, then slow picking through to October 10, later than many in Pauillac - and normal yields of around 40hl/h. 98-100 points" janeanson.com |
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