Chateau Pontet Canet 2017

- 96 Punkte Robert Parkers WINE ADVOCATE, Lisa Perrotti-Brown: "Composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Pontet-Canet gives up beautifully fragrant notes of rosehip tea, lilacs, cinnamon stick, cloves, dried leaves and underbrush with a core of kirsch, raspberry coulis, warm plums and red and black currants plus a waft of pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing, minerally and wonderfully elegant with a well-played texture of approachable, plush tannins and a long, fragrant finish. Beautiful. Aging took place in 50% new and 15% in second fill barrels and the remaining 35% in amphorae for 16 months, much of the material for which came from the soil at Pontet-Canet!"

- 96 Punkte WINE ENTHUSIAST, Roger Voss: "The perfume intensity of this wine is remarkable. Firm yet velvety at the same time, the tannins are the prelude to the pure, opulent blackberry fruits and balanced acidity. The lines of the wine are clear and direct, a true promise for aging. Drink from 2024."

- 94 Punkte WINESPECTATOR, James Molesworth: "Very tight, with notes of wet stone, plum pit and chalky minerality leading the way, backed by an ample core of steeped currant, blackberry and black cherry fruit waiting to unfurl. The finish smolders with cast iron details. Should round into form with cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2040."

- 95 Punkte VINOUS, Antonio Galloni: "A gorgeous, alluring Pauillac, the 2017 Pontet-Canet is racy and exceptionally polished, with floral top notes that bring out the natural brightness of the red-toned fruit. Super-silky tannins add to the wine's immediacy and sheer allure. The 2017 was the first wine made with the new sorting table. About half the fruit was destemmed by hand. As always, visiting Pontet-Canet is like stepping back into another time, a time in which wines were made much more manually than they are today. Here that means manual punch downs and pump overs, with no electricity. Harvest ran from September 18 through October 4. The blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Aging was done 50% in new oak, 35% in amphora and 15% in one year-old oak. Tasted three times."

- 94 Punkte FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, feine Nuancen von reifen Heidelbeeren, frische Herzkirschen, zarte Edelholzwürze, Kardamom, ein Hauch von Orangenzesten. Saftig, elegant und rund, angenehme Frische, feine Säurestruktur, perfekt gereifte Tannine, mineralisch, straff und anhaltend, sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial, salzige Mineralität im Abgang. Delikat, lebendig und anhaltend, Frische, Länge und tolle Balance."

- 94 Punkte DECANTER, Jane Anson: "This is a very charming Pauillac with texture, rippling energy and undoubted finesse. It's deceptive, because the dark, luscious blackberry, bilberry, and damson notes are fairly fresh, with a luscious lipsmacking quality, but the tannins build over the palate. It almost tastes like a St-Julien rather than a Pauillac as they're so fine and elegant, but the Pauillac character becomes more apparent by the close of play - there's no hiding those swirling cassis, smoke and menthol notes. This has a really gorgeous tension and freshness without sacrificing concentration. They used brand-new concrete vats this year, designed by technical director Jean-Michel Comme's, for one-third of the crop. The concrete was made from sands and gravels extracted from the exact spot that the building containing them now stands, utilising geothermal heating and cooling, with as few metallic parts as possible and insulated with hemp. The wine will be aged in 50% new oak, 35% concrete vats and 15% in one-year-old barrels. They have made nearly no second wine again. Just 1% frost loss in 2017. The Merlot was harvested from 18 September, block by block over 10 days, then deleafed. The Cabernets were picked from 28 September through until 4 October. Drinking Window 2025 – 2038"

- 19 Punkte Rene Gabriels BORDEAUX TOTAL, Andre Kunz: "Kunz Fassprobe 18: (64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot) Samtenes, dichtes, kräftiges Bouquet, schwarze Brombeeren, Heidelbeeren, fein Pflaumen, Graphit, Lakritze, Dörrfrüchte, schwarzer Cassis, Minze. Konzentrierter, vielschichtiger, aromatischer Gaumen mit kräftiger, dunkler Aromatik, sehr viel feinem Tannin, dichter, muskulöser, eleganter Struktur, schwarzer Frucht, sehr langer, aromatischer, wuchtiger Abgang mit kräftigen Rückaromen."

- 96 Punkte JAMES SUCKLING: "This has ethereal transparency to it with a fresh, red-berry and cherry nose. Terra-cotta and dried-flower notes. Plums, too. Quite complex. The palate has a very detailed tannin texture with attractive cassis and blueberries that hold very long, fresh and pure. Fruity and fresh. Try from 2023."

- 20 Punkte VINUM, Arrivage: "Vorgaben, Respekt der Jahrgangstypizität und damit der Traube und Inspiration. Einmal mehr entspricht Pontet Canet alle diesen Vorgaben, wirkt jahrgangsbedingt burgundischer denn je, mit grossem aromatischem Ausdruck, besonderer, seidiger Frische, ungemeiner Tanninklasse und grösster Harmonie. Werte wie "besser als" oder schlechter als" wirken da ganz einfach überholt. 2024-2040."

- 20 Punkte VINUM, Primeur: "Auffallende aromatische Komplexität, mit schwer zu beschreibenden Noten von Teekräutern, Blumen, Beeren und einer mineralischen Komponente; beginnt klar und direkt, entwickelt Dichte, vor allem aber besondere Frische und Seidigkeit; auch dieser burgundischste aller bisher verkosteten Pontet Canet entzieht sich einmal mehr jeder objektiven Notierung, weil er subjektiv Emotionen vermittelt wie sonst kaum ein Wein. 2028-2040."