Chateau Pontet-Canet 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2018

When I tasted the 2018 Pontet-Canet in barrel I described it as a "freak of nature." The 2018 is more than that, it is a freak of nature. Made from yields of just ten hectoliters per hectare, the 2018 possesses off the charts richness, phenomenal balance and head-spinning intensity. Crushed red berries, flowers, mint, cedar and rose petal saturate the palate in a Pauillac of breath-taking richness. The silkiest of tannins frame the phenomenally pure, long finish. This is a towering achievement from the Tesseron family and former Technical Director Jean-Michel Comme, who together spearheaded biodynamic farming in Bordeaux and built the present-day estate around a philosophy of non-interventionalist winemaking. In 2018, grapes were crushed solely by hand. Because of the tiny yields, the entire production was vinified in Pontet-Canet's new smaller concrete vats. All winemaking was done manually, without the aid of external temperature control or electricity. Put in another way, if Lalou Bize-Leroy made Bordeaux, it would taste like this.

Drink 2028 - 2058

The 2018 Pontet-Canet is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It was aged in 55% oak barriques and 45% amphorae. Deep garnet-purple colored, it explodes from the glass with an atomic perfume of raspberry pie, blackcurrant pastilles, rose oil and Chinese five spice, giving way to suggestions of cinnamon stick, dusty soil, pencil lead and underbrush. The rich, seductive, full-bodied palate is a hedonist's dream, delivering layer-upon-layer of black and red berry preserves with loads of fragrant accents, a beautifully firm yet plush texture and tons of freshness, finishing long with a whole firework display of exotic spices. This is pretty much out-of-the-gate delicious, but it has the backbone to evolve over three decades or more.

Drink 2023 - 2053

Knitted down tannins, powerful concentration to the blackberry, black cherry and cassis fruits. A gourmet feel overall, rippled with cocoa bean and cigar box, this is an excellent wine and for me has improved since En Primeur. Still needs plenty of extra time in bottle, but already has definition and finesse, and evident potential. A difficult vintage at Pontet Canet, with tiny yields after losing 2/3 of the crop to mildew, making the success in the glass even more striking. Additions in the cellar also at this point, with 400l small cement vats made from their own soil. No pump overs, no lees stirring, the entire harvest sorted and destemmed by hand, no electricity beyond lights in the cellar, as little intervention as possible throughout the whole process.

Drink 2021 - 2048

An impressive nose, as Justine Tesseron remarked 'éclatant'. Indeed, ripe cassis with some glossy fruit. The 2018 stands out for its unique expression among all wines tasted. If you like an ultra-ripe style, this is most certainly that. The most Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, at 70%, but comes across with a certain California feel, and yet firmly Bordeaux, because of the acidity and fine tension on the palate. Aged 50% new oak, 35% amphora.

Drink 2021 - 2050