98 points James Suckling: "A stunning wine for this vintage although it’s still a bit shy on the nose (more spice than fruit showing than now). There’s wet earth, too, but on the palate it’s bursting with ripe yet subtle flavors. Very long and complex finish that goes on and on. (1/18/17)”
98 points La Revue du Vin de France: "Those who can should stock up on the latest vintages produced here, whose character, definition, and energy are truly impressive. Now cultivating a unique approach and “taste,” this wine redefines the concept of texture and silkiness in the Médoc. (2018)"
96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "A final blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2014 Pontet-Canet is brilliant stuff, and I was able to taste this wine from barrel as well as multiple times from bottle, both at the estate and from a bottle purchased in the United States. It offers a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, tobacco leaf, and minerals, as well as an unmistakable Pauillac lead pencil characteristics that I just adore. Possessing full-bodied richness, a rounded, surprisingly opulent, sexy texture, awesome purity, and sweet, succulent tannin, it’s a sensational 2014 that might just surpass what they accomplished in 2015. This is a 2014 you won’t regret buying in bulk as it’s going to keep for 2-3 decades and be drinkable for the vast majority of it. Bravo to Alfred Tesseron and his team! Drink: 2020-2045. (11/30/17)”
96 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): “The 2014 Pontet-Canet is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it needs coaxing to reveal a profound core of baked plums, creme de cassis, and cigar box with wafts of tapenade, wood smoke, and mossy bark, plus a spicy hint of cumin seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has an impressive foundation of ripe, grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing on a lingering peppery note. Drink 2024-2050. (Jun 2022)”
96 points Wine Enthusiast: "This is a finely structured wine with dark tannins and intense black fruits. The estate, with its biodynamically grown fruit, has given an impressively pure wine, packed with tight serious tannins and a fine structure of black-plum skins and intense acidity. It is direct, firm and with a huge potential over many years. Drink from 2027. (Apr 2017)"
95+ points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): " The 2014 Pontet-Canet seems to have put on quite a bit of weight and volume since I first tasted it from barrel. Ripe, juicy tannins wrap around a core of intense dark cherry, plum, spice, lavender and tobacco. Today, it is the wine's sheer intensity and vertical structure that stands out. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle until at least age ten, and even that is almost certainly not going to be enough time for the 2014 to show the full breadth of its potential. The transformation the 2014 has undergone from a delicate, nuanced Pauillac to a wine of depth is quite remarkable. Tasted three times. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, vinified in equal parts cement and oak and aged in a combination of 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% once used barrels. This is a gorgeous wine from the Tesseron family and the team led by Technical Director Jean-Michel Comme. (Drink between 2024-2044. (Feb 2017)"
95 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): “A clear step upwards from both the 2012 and 2013 in terms of Pauillac definition and punch, and it is following the usual trajectory of a wine from this corner of Bordeaux - meaning that it is still young at 7 years old, and needs another few years in bottle. Packed full of bilberry and cassis fruits, a deliciously cool and savoury style of Cabernet with crushed mint and blue fruits, concentrated and finessed. Plenty of juice on the finish also, I just love the progress of this wine through the palate, as it travels slowly but surely towards its destination. First year certified as Demeter (Biodyvin as of 2010, so this is a second biodynamic certification). Harvest September 29 to October 10. (9/17/21)”
95 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Deep garnet with a hint of purple to the color, the 2014 Pontet-Canet gives a very serious, classic Pauillac nose of blackcurrant preserves, baked blackberries and warm black plums with suggestions of menthol, pencil lead, woodsmoke, cassia and cast-iron pan plus a hint of baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with black and blue fruit preserves with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and bold freshness, giving lift to the long, exotic spice-laced finish. It is approachable now, but really should start to make jaws drop in another 4-5 years. Drink: 2024-2050. (5/29/20)"
95 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "This is a wine which stylistically sits apart in the commune, with aromas of cherry liqueur, clay and cement dust, all scented with greener notes of sage and thyme. It seems to have intensity and yet also a subtle greener lift. On the palate it is the creamed fruit intensity that comes through, all crushed damson and black cherry, with a tightly grained substance, but again with that little lift of fresh, leafy fruit and a touch of praline and tobacco leaf. There is a lot of imposing tannic substance through the middle and finish here, the end of the palate simply loaded with tannin. Overall this is long, imposing, bursting with structure, and it will need a long time in the cellar to really come around. It has huge promise though. (Nov 2018)"
95 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "2014 marks the first vintage the estate was Demeter certified. Everything here is classic in style starting with the nose and all of its tobacco leaf, cigar box, herbs, smoke, currants, and peppery spices. There is freshness, as well as sweetness to the berries. The fruits are clean, earthy, bright, and chewy, leaving you with a healthy wave of currants, blackberries, salty rocks, and a touch of creaminess in the finish. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV. Drink from 2024-2045. (Jul 2022)"
95 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Spicy, a hint of autumn leaves, blackberry, dried rose hip, black cherry, cassis and suede with air, with subtle nougat in the background. Overall a somewhat shy bouquet that calls for decanting. Powerful, tightly meshed, mineral, fine nougat at the core, ripe, supporting tannins that are still somewhat demanding, mineral-salty finish, seems somewhat closed at the moment, but will show its full certain ageing potential after a certain resting phase. Patience is required here. Drink: 2025- 2060. (1/12/22)"
95 points International Wine Report: "The 2014 Chateau Pontet Canet certainly lives up to its esteemed reputation in this vintage. This marvelous bend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot opens to inviting aromatics of cherries and currants laced with spices, graphite, cigar and spring flowers along with an earthy edge. This textbook Pauillac is remarkably well structured with wonderful balance, depth and concentration which lead into a long, precise finish. Simply put, this is an exceptional showing which will age gracefully for decades to some, however patience will be required before this hits its stride. Best 2022-2036. (Jun 2017)"
98 points La Revue du Vin de France: "Those who can should stock up on the latest vintages produced here, whose character, definition, and energy are truly impressive. Now cultivating a unique approach and “taste,” this wine redefines the concept of texture and silkiness in the Médoc. (2018)"
96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "A final blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2014 Pontet-Canet is brilliant stuff, and I was able to taste this wine from barrel as well as multiple times from bottle, both at the estate and from a bottle purchased in the United States. It offers a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, tobacco leaf, and minerals, as well as an unmistakable Pauillac lead pencil characteristics that I just adore. Possessing full-bodied richness, a rounded, surprisingly opulent, sexy texture, awesome purity, and sweet, succulent tannin, it’s a sensational 2014 that might just surpass what they accomplished in 2015. This is a 2014 you won’t regret buying in bulk as it’s going to keep for 2-3 decades and be drinkable for the vast majority of it. Bravo to Alfred Tesseron and his team! Drink: 2020-2045. (11/30/17)”
96 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): “The 2014 Pontet-Canet is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it needs coaxing to reveal a profound core of baked plums, creme de cassis, and cigar box with wafts of tapenade, wood smoke, and mossy bark, plus a spicy hint of cumin seed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has an impressive foundation of ripe, grainy tannins and lively acidity supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing on a lingering peppery note. Drink 2024-2050. (Jun 2022)”
96 points Wine Enthusiast: "This is a finely structured wine with dark tannins and intense black fruits. The estate, with its biodynamically grown fruit, has given an impressively pure wine, packed with tight serious tannins and a fine structure of black-plum skins and intense acidity. It is direct, firm and with a huge potential over many years. Drink from 2027. (Apr 2017)"
95+ points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): " The 2014 Pontet-Canet seems to have put on quite a bit of weight and volume since I first tasted it from barrel. Ripe, juicy tannins wrap around a core of intense dark cherry, plum, spice, lavender and tobacco. Today, it is the wine's sheer intensity and vertical structure that stands out. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle until at least age ten, and even that is almost certainly not going to be enough time for the 2014 to show the full breadth of its potential. The transformation the 2014 has undergone from a delicate, nuanced Pauillac to a wine of depth is quite remarkable. Tasted three times. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, vinified in equal parts cement and oak and aged in a combination of 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% once used barrels. This is a gorgeous wine from the Tesseron family and the team led by Technical Director Jean-Michel Comme. (Drink between 2024-2044. (Feb 2017)"
95 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): “A clear step upwards from both the 2012 and 2013 in terms of Pauillac definition and punch, and it is following the usual trajectory of a wine from this corner of Bordeaux - meaning that it is still young at 7 years old, and needs another few years in bottle. Packed full of bilberry and cassis fruits, a deliciously cool and savoury style of Cabernet with crushed mint and blue fruits, concentrated and finessed. Plenty of juice on the finish also, I just love the progress of this wine through the palate, as it travels slowly but surely towards its destination. First year certified as Demeter (Biodyvin as of 2010, so this is a second biodynamic certification). Harvest September 29 to October 10. (9/17/21)”
95 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Deep garnet with a hint of purple to the color, the 2014 Pontet-Canet gives a very serious, classic Pauillac nose of blackcurrant preserves, baked blackberries and warm black plums with suggestions of menthol, pencil lead, woodsmoke, cassia and cast-iron pan plus a hint of baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with black and blue fruit preserves with a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and bold freshness, giving lift to the long, exotic spice-laced finish. It is approachable now, but really should start to make jaws drop in another 4-5 years. Drink: 2024-2050. (5/29/20)"
95 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "This is a wine which stylistically sits apart in the commune, with aromas of cherry liqueur, clay and cement dust, all scented with greener notes of sage and thyme. It seems to have intensity and yet also a subtle greener lift. On the palate it is the creamed fruit intensity that comes through, all crushed damson and black cherry, with a tightly grained substance, but again with that little lift of fresh, leafy fruit and a touch of praline and tobacco leaf. There is a lot of imposing tannic substance through the middle and finish here, the end of the palate simply loaded with tannin. Overall this is long, imposing, bursting with structure, and it will need a long time in the cellar to really come around. It has huge promise though. (Nov 2018)"
95 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "2014 marks the first vintage the estate was Demeter certified. Everything here is classic in style starting with the nose and all of its tobacco leaf, cigar box, herbs, smoke, currants, and peppery spices. There is freshness, as well as sweetness to the berries. The fruits are clean, earthy, bright, and chewy, leaving you with a healthy wave of currants, blackberries, salty rocks, and a touch of creaminess in the finish. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV. Drink from 2024-2045. (Jul 2022)"
95 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Spicy, a hint of autumn leaves, blackberry, dried rose hip, black cherry, cassis and suede with air, with subtle nougat in the background. Overall a somewhat shy bouquet that calls for decanting. Powerful, tightly meshed, mineral, fine nougat at the core, ripe, supporting tannins that are still somewhat demanding, mineral-salty finish, seems somewhat closed at the moment, but will show its full certain ageing potential after a certain resting phase. Patience is required here. Drink: 2025- 2060. (1/12/22)"
95 points International Wine Report: "The 2014 Chateau Pontet Canet certainly lives up to its esteemed reputation in this vintage. This marvelous bend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot opens to inviting aromatics of cherries and currants laced with spices, graphite, cigar and spring flowers along with an earthy edge. This textbook Pauillac is remarkably well structured with wonderful balance, depth and concentration which lead into a long, precise finish. Simply put, this is an exceptional showing which will age gracefully for decades to some, however patience will be required before this hits its stride. Best 2022-2036. (Jun 2017)"
| Product SKU | 354417 |
| Producer | Pontet-Canet |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| SubRegion | Left Bank |
| Appellation | Pauillac |
| Varietal | Cabernet/Bordeaux Blends |
| Vintage | 2014 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| Blend | 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot |
| ABV | 13.5% |
| Ships To |
