Accolades
• 95 Points – Andreas Larsson – Tasted (Apr 2013)
• 94 Points – Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (Jul 2022)
• 20 / 20 – Vinum Wine Magazine
• 94 Points – DCAMW Tasting Note (Nov 2016)
Classification
Cinquième Grand Cru Classé (1855 Classification)
Vintage Notes
After a particularly mild winter, rain set in during the spring. Frequent and often heavy showers accompanied the first few months of the vine cycle. As a result, flowering occurred rather late and took longer than usual. Fortunately the sun always returns, as was the case from mid-July, ushering in a hot and particularly dry summer. These favourable conditions lasted until the onset of autumn and mitigated the differences in maturity caused by the long flowering period. The weather then turned again, bringing a lot of rain just a few days before we started picking the first Merlot parcels. Anticipating the possibility of harvests in the rain, however, we had installed a third sorting line. Although no rain at all would have been ideal, careful sorting ensured that only perfectly ripe grapes filled the vats.
Producer Notes
The wine has a deep, glittering hue and a complex nose where black-fruit aromas mingle with graphite and spice notes. The palate is dense and long, with chiselled tannins of remarkable precision.
The 2012 vintage was the first in which Pontet-Canet matured nearly a third of the wine in concrete amphorae.
Harvest took place 4 – 17 October from 81 ha of certified organic and biodynamic vineyards. Grapes were hand-harvested in small crates. The wine aged 18 months in French oak and amphora.
Critic Tasting Notes
“Very floral, dark-fruity and ripe nose, multilayered palate with excellent fruit purity and breadth, finely integrated tannin, crunchy dark fruit and a very long, juicy finish. Superb material.”
— Andreas Larsson – Tasted (95 Points, Apr 2013)
“Deep, dark, very nearly opaque. Vivid, open, ripe dark-cherry and blackcurrant aromas. Very pure cassis on the palate with fresh acidity developing into vivid black-cherry flavours. Fruit is open and there are plentiful fine tannins and warming alcohol. Lasts well.”
— DCAMW, Nov 2016 (94 Points)
Specifications
Winery: Château Pontet-Canet
Country: France
Region: Pauillac, Médoc, Bordeaux
Variety: Bordeaux Blend (65 Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 Merlot, 4 Cabernet Franc, 1 Petit Verdot)
Vintage: 2012
Style: Red – Savory and Classic
Alcohol: 13.5 % ABV
Classification: 5ème Grand Cru Classé
Maturation: 18 months in French oak & amphora
Winemaking: Hand-harvested from organic & biodynamic vineyards
Consultant Winemaker: Michel Rolland
Ownership: Alfred and Michel Tesseron
Closure: Cork
Food Pairing
Ideal with entrecôte and Béarnaise sauce, Galloway or Dexter beef sirloin, and Manchego cheese.
