Cellar Selection: 2017 Chateau Pontet-Canet
Today we are sharing one of the greats from the Left Bank of Bordeaux. Château Pontet-Canet is a Pauillac estate that dates back to the18th Century. It is originally named after former owner, Jean Francois de Pontet, who expanded the vineyard holdings by purchasing new property around the estate. His descendants continued to purchase plots of land including some in the Canet area and thus, it was aptly named Château Pontet-Canet. This house because one of the biggest estates in the Médoc.
While today this is a bit oudated, Château Pontet-Canet was classified as a Fifth Growth in 1855 and acquired by the Cruse family who owned the estate for 110 years. The house saw a lot of changes in the 20th century and by1975, the vineyards had fallen into a state of disrepair. The Cruse family sold it to the Tesseron family, a well-known name in the Bordeaux. While he does not see himself as a winemaker he has forced on making the best fruit possible in the vineyard, using biodynamic methods. He has partnered with Jean Michel Comme to do this as all viticulture is done by hand at Château Pontet Canet — and even no electricity is used during picking or sorting at harvest.
The wine I tasted most recently was from 2017. This was stuck between two powerhouse vintages — 2016 and 2018. These are elegant wines from this vintage and very much made in the older world style of Bordeaux. Alcohol levels are lower and the wines are more earthy than ’16 or ’18. I really love the way that this vintage has turned out and many of these wines are drinking marvelously now at the eight year mark. This 2017 Pontet-Canet (OB, 96) is silky, refined and elegant stuff, with plenty of depth and power. It needs several hours of air if consuming now. Learn more about this acclaimed house at https://www.pontet-canet.com/en/ and here is my review of the 2017 Chateau Pontet-Canet.
2017 Chateau Pontet-Canet- This is now the third time that I have tasted the fabulous 2017 Pontet-Canet — a world-class wine refined, elegant and also dense on the mouth. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, with smaller parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this shows off mocha, tar, allspice dusted blackberry and dark currants all combine on the palate, with espresso grounds and wet gravel notes. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy this outstanding wine now and over the next twenty years. Drink 2025-2044- 96