Pontet Canet 2013

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this biodynamically farmed vineyard (a rarity, but increasing in the Bordeaux viticulture), had tiny yields of 15 hectoliters per hectare. This doesn't translate into super concentration, but this is certainly an outstanding effort in an extremely difficult vintage. The wine has a dense purple color, and classic creme de cassis, licorice and mocha and espresso roast notes that Pontet-Canet has displayed recently. The wine is medium-bodied, possesses excellent purity, equilibrium and sweet, but noticeable tannin. This is by no means at the level of the great vintages that have been so common of late from this incredible property on the Plateau of Pauillac across from Mouton Rothschild, but it's certainly one of the vintage's more noteworthy efforts. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 15 or so years.

In 2013, the Pontet Canet is a blend of around 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. There is about 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% in one-year old wood. The nose is quite light for Pontet Canet, the Merlot actually more expressive than the Cabernet Sauvignon at the moment. There is something almost northern Italian about the aromatics, warmth not European but something further south. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly meaty entry. The tannins are a little coarse at the moment but they will soften with time. There is an attractive spicy tincture here, although there is not a great deal of depth on the finish, which is typically quite linear for the vintage. Again, the clay amphora, do lend this wine something tertiary or at least "of the ground". I do not think this is a long term Château Pontet Canet, but it should drink well over the next 8 to 10 years. Tasted April 2014.

An aromatic wine with a delicacy and suppleness that is exceptional for the vintage with blackberry, mineral, spice and flower character. Very fine tannins. Seamless structure. It's a wine that makes you want to drink it with its pleasant savory, fruity character. Harmonious.

Made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2013 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet colored. It prances out with alluring notes of rosehip tea, dried lavender, kirsch, and wild sage over a core of cassis, plum preserves, and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, firm, fine-grained, and with compelling tension, it fills the palate with perfumed fruits, finishing long and mineral-tinged.