Chateau Pontet-Canet 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2021

4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

There is a gorgeous fragrance on the nose, so perfumed and floral - really vibrant - you can smell the Cabernet and the Petit Verdot on the nose. Juiciness straight away from a burst of high acidity focussed on blackcurrant and black cherry with both a fragrance, spice and minerality following. This really hits you square on - it’s not opulent, but it’s so fully flavoured, forward and upfront. Tannins are fine-grained but plentiful; they hold the structure and give the frame, while the creaminess and freshness give an expansive aspect to the palate.

There’s refinement and an aerial quality here despite the clear Pauillac power. The Cabernet fruit is in full shine mode, giving a touch of eucalyptus, perfumed berry, and black pepper. Structured and supple with grape and terroir characteristics. If you love Pontet and classic Pauillac claret, this is an impressive reference point—skilled winemaking from technical director Mathieu Bessonet.

Drink 2026 - 2050

Harvest 24 September until 12 October. 50% new oak, 35% amphora, 15% one year barrels, 15% press aged in the amphora).

Bright berry red in colour, nuanced blackberry and loganberry with bitter black chocolate notes from the first attack. Lovely precision, good level of spice, earthy, unfussy, rose stem and blackcurrant bud. This was the third vintage with mildew pressure, but the team are now experienced, and I can attest to seeing the vines during harvest and remarking on how healthy they looked, with no-till farming helping concentration. Plenty of tannins give structure and are shot through with sinew and juice, this is an impressive wine from Technical Director Mathieu Bessonet, with Pauillac typicity.

Drink 2026 - 2044

The 2021 Pontet Canet, which contains a little more Petit Verdot than usual, was bottled in July. It has a very attractive bouquet with pure black fruit, cedar and light iris flower scents. It is not powerful, yet there is elegance here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a crisp line of acidity. A hint of mocha lurks in the background, but there is a satisfying, almost citric freshness toward the finish. Suggestions of graphite linger on the aftertaste. I have not spared Pontet Canet from criticism in recent vintages, but that said, I really warmed to this 2021, and it should age with style.

Drink 2025 - 2050

Harvest took place from September 24 through October 12. Yields were 34 hectoliters per hectare.

The 2021 Pontet-Canet is a soft, open-knit, attractive wine, but its light structure is impossible to look past. Graphite, dried herbs, menthol and liquorice fill out the layers. The 2021 is a fairly accessible Pontet Canet that will drink well with minimal cellaring.

Drink 2028 - 2041