Wine Advisor
Pontet Canet 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet in color, the 2011 Pontet-Canet comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of redcurrant jelly, warm cassis and blackberry pie plus touches of dried mint, mocha, smoked meats and yeast extract with a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has bags of energy with lively red and black fruits and compelling mineral accents, finishing long with a provocative lift.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Proprietor Alfred Tesseron-s 2011 Pontet-Canet is packaged in an engraved, heavy bottle, which only adds to the attractiveness of this beauty. A dense purple color is accompanied by notes of forest floor, acacia flowers and creme de cassis in this full, rich, and unequivocally classic Pauillac. With soft but noticeable tannins as well as a complete, full-bodied mouthfeel, this 2011 will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring, and should age effortlessly for 15-20 years. Bravo!
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2011 Pontet Canet has a voluptuous bouquet with saturated dark cherry fruit, creme de cassis and a touch of blueberry with underlying minerality. It is exuberant, almost ostentatious at first, but it begins to calm down with time. The palate is medium-bodied with firm structured cloaked by layers of ripe black fruit infused with minerals and graphite. It is a quite a strict Pontet Canet underneath what is a hell of a lot of fruit for a 2011. The finish is composed with a touch of citrus fruit towards the finish. Amazing that such a good wine comes from 90% of the crop. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Pontet-Canet vertical in London, the 2011 Château Pontet Canet must constitute one of the best wines on the Left Bank, even if it does not quite live up to its stellar performance from barrel. Lucid purple in color, the bouquet leaps from the glass and yells "Pauillac" - thanks to its graphite seam interwoven through the black fruit. Over ten minutes, tobacco scents join the fray and it develops what you might call "mint fresh" aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied and remains understated on the entry, perhaps exaggerated by the exuberance of the nose. However, there is no question that this is a refined, pure and seamless Pontet-Canet with crème de cassis and cedar inter-layered on the sustained finish. Bon vin. Tasted February 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Once again proprietor Alfred Tesseron has produced a wine of first-growth potential. One of the superstars of the vintage, Pontet-Canet’s 2011 exhibits an opaque purple color and a glorious bouquet of incense, subtle toast and copious quantities of creme de cassis. There is a floral underpinning, decent acidity and ripe tannin to this full-bodied effort. Big, rich, round and generously endowed, it should drink well for 20-25+ years.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Vivid ruby. Very ripe scents of dark plum, graphite and leather and a strong note of underbrush on the initially reduced nose. Fleshy and smooth on entry, showing hefty, slightly warm, ripe dark fruit and licorice flavors, but turns austere on the long back end, finishing with tight tannins and a metallic edge. Really not much fun presently, and very different from what I remember at the Primeurs: I imagine the sample I tried most recently was in the process of shutting down. I wouldn't pull the cork on this for at least another four or five years.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(60% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot; 32 hectoliters per hectare): Deep, opaque ruby. Rich aromas of blackberry, black cherry and minerals are lifted by a perfumed minty note. Multilayered and vibrant, with compelling sweetness of black fruit cocktail, spicy vanilla and mineral flavors. Finishes with very smooth tannins, a persistent violet note and an impression of weightlessness. I love this wine's purity, but I don't know if my sample had any press wine in it.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Pontet Canet has a well-defined bouquet with brambly red fruit, tar and tobacco, classic in style, maybe just missing a little flair? The palate is sweet and rounded in texture, quite extractive with mulberry and gamey notes, fairly bretty towards the almost Rhône-like finish. This is difficult to fathom out, not an unenjoyable wine for sure, yet it is missing typicité. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting.
About the Producer
The history of Château Pontet-Canet dates back to the early 18th century when Jean-François de Pontet, grand equerry of the king became governor of the Medoc, brings together several parcels of land located in Pauillac. Subsequently, his descendants add the vineyards adjoining the locality Canet: Château Pontet-Canet was born. One hundred years later, the famous classification of 1855 included Château Pontet-Canet among the elite of the Médoc viticulture. This rise did not escape one of the first Bordeaux merchants of the time, Herman Cruse, who bought the property in 1865. He built new cellars, modernized the facilities and made this wine known throughout the world. The Cruse family managedthe property for 110 years, until another merchant, but from Cognac, Guy Tesseron, bought it in 1975. Thus, in more than two hundred years, Château Pontet-Canet knew only three different owners. Today, it is the son of Guy Tesseron, Alfred Tesseron who is at the head of the field. The Château Pontet-Canet terroir consists of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The property is 120 hectares of which 80 hectares are dedicated to the breeding of the vine. Led by Jean Michel Comme, Château Pontet-Canet’s viticulture has gone from conventional cultivation to organic farming and biodynamic farming. Thus, the terroirs, worked daily by Breton horses, have found their originality.
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