Château Pontet-Canet 2017

Seductive aromas of blackberry, cassis, as well as cherry and raspberry. Earthy notes and a touch of mint. Pronounced spice. On the palate, gripping and densely woven. Carried by juicy acidity.

Composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pontet-Canet, medium to deep garnet-purple in color, offers 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 hint of pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing, mineral, and wonderfully elegant, with a well-judged texture of approachable, plush tannins and a long, fragrant finish. Beautiful. Aging took place for 16 months in 50% new barrels, 15% second-fill barrels, and the remaining 35% in amphorae, much of the material for which came from the soil at Pontet-Canet!

Pontet-Canet has had organic and biodynamic certification since 2010. The 2017 vintage saw new methods of grape sorting and destemming introduced, and a new electricity-free vat house. Aged half in new oak, 10%-15% in second-fill barrels and 30%-40% in concrete amphorae. Georgie Hindle: Red cherries, raspberries, blackcurrants – perfumed and scented. Effortless charm while still being a powerful wine. I love this! Has that vein of freshness from start to finish. Lovely precision and definition. Vincenzo Arnese: Graphite, smokiness and minerality brighten up the aromas. Very inviting, full bodied wine. Notes of black olives and cloves on the finish. Andy Howard MW: Voluptuous style with dark and red cherry fruit, good concentration, freshened by appealing acidity and a mineral undertow. Intriguing spice notes to finish. Tannins a little drying but plenty to enjoy here.

This has ethereal transparency 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.

The 2017 Pontet-Canet offers attractive red berry fruit mixed with cedar and potpourri, beneath which lie subtle aromas of graphite that I would like to see a little more of as it matures in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, making this one of the more approachable vintages in recent years. The cedar-infused black fruit is framed by fine tannins and a harmonious, graphite-tinged finish. This Pontet-Canet should offer up to 20 years of drinking pleasure, although it will be hard to resist pulling the cork in its youth.

The first vintage with the new fermentation vats when the estate began destemming by hand. Bright, fresh, crisp, and crunchy, this is a return to classicism. Here, you find notes of spearmint, currants, crushed rocks, lead pencil, and red fruits. Medium to full-bodied, with a bite to the fruit on the palate and in the finish, give this a few more years in the cellar and it could soften and fill out as it develops additional complexities. One of the most successful wines of the vintage, the wine blends 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. 13% ABV. Drink from 2030–2055.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate watery rim. Subtle floral nuances of cassis and blackberry confit, candied orange zest, dried rosehip and tobacco, needs air. Complex, full-bodied, dark berry fruit, subtle fruit, ripe tannins, freshly structured, mineral, similarly light-bodied like the 2013. — At the moment we are heading towards a longer hibernation period, as young, great wines like to do before they have gone through adolescence and presented themselves as young men — will make a safe career in the future as an elegant food wine. (Drink 2025–2040).

Deep ruby/purple-hued and based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2017 Chateau Pontet-Canet spent 16 months in 50% new barrels, 35% in amphora, and the balance in once-used barrels. It's an exceedingly elegant Pontet-Canet that has textbook Pauillac notes of blackcurrants, unsmoked tobacco, lead pencil shavings, new leather, and flowery incense. It's not a blockbuster and reminds me slightly of the 2004, yet it has wonderful depth of fruit, ultra-fine tannins, and beautiful purity and elegance. It's already approachable, but it’s going to be even better with 5-6 years of bottle age and have 20-25 years of prime drinking.

Barrel sample 18: (64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot) Silky, dense, powerful bouquet, blackberries, blueberries, subtle plum notes, graphite, licorice, dried fruit, black cassis, mint. Concentrated, layered, aromatic palate with bold, dark aromatics, plenty of fine tannins, a dense, muscular yet elegant structure, black fruit, and a very long, aromatic, weighty finish with powerful aftertastes.

A classic 2017, more sculpted but less powerful than the 2014, 2015, 2016. This has elegance and finesse, needs time to be coaxed out of the glass to reveal a complex mix of blue and red fruits, and a lovely brush of Pauillac graphite, eucalyptus, black tea and pencil lead. Harvest September 18 to October 4. The frost of 2017 impacted Pontet Canet less than most places, only affecting the north-facing cooler parts of the vineyard.

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple colored. It skips out of the glass with youthful notes of black raspberries, fresh blackcurrants, and Morello cherries, plus touches of iris petals, forest floor, and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with vibrant black and red fruit layers, framed by ripe, velvety tannins and gorgeous freshness, finishing long and fragrant. This is such a pretty wine!

In a style that unmistakably evokes the great Burgundian wines, 2017 is also a wine of texture, with a subtle powdery touch and a very fine grain. Elongated and slender, yet so persistent.

Fruity wine, very ripe, deep, zan, vibrant, with round, coated tannins, lots of energy and pep, a long, dynamic finish. May be polarizing.

Medium garnet red with slight violet highlights. The bouquet shows a lovely fruity expression. Inviting nuances of licorice and black berries followed by a touch of barrel ageing. On the palate, the wine has fine-grained tannins. They provide perfect support alongside the acidic structure. A wine that reminds us that in 2017 great wines were made in Bordeaux!

The nose is elegant and fresh, with lovely finesse, concentration, gourmandise, a subtle incisive edge and delicate power. It reveals notes of blackberry, blackcurrant and, more lightly, fresh liquorice stick and ripe small berries, along with touches of small red fruits, iris/lilac, graphite, a racy minerality, and fine hints of violet, sweet spices and green cardamom. The palate is fruity, fresh, mineral and elegant, offering lovely definition, a lively acid thread, suavity, juicy, appealing fruit, a fine texture and roundness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of fleshy blackberry, fleshy/juicy blackcurrant and, more subtly, violet, combined with fine touches of liquorice, lily, and hints of graphite, tonka bean, camphor, lilac and cubeb pepper. The tannins are elegant and well handled. Good length. A very discreet hint of toasted hazelnut on the finish. Gourmandise on the finish.

Double decanted. Dark, intense color. Slight evolution. Moderately aromatic nose, fruity, creamy. An animal note, then cedar and wood. Precise and caressing on the attack, savory at mid-palate, the wine caresses the palate before finishing with normal length. A pleasure.

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.

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.