Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2016

100 points/'#2 Top 100 Cellar Selections 2019' Wine Enthusiast: "A voluptuous wine, this is rich and fruity yet properly balanced by a magnificent structure. Pure, crisp and packed with a black currant flavor, this will be a remarkable wine as it develops. Still young, it needs many years to develop. Don't think about drinking before 2025. Alcohol 13.5%. (May 2019)"

99 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2016 Pontet-Canet is absolutely breathtaking. Powerful, ample and racy in the glass, the 2016 is one of the most exquisitely well-balanced young Pontet-Canets I can remember tasting. Savory, high-toned aromatics and brisk mineral notes lend energy and delineation as this vivid wonderfully alive wine opens up in the glass. The flavors are dark and incisive, but it is the wine's total sense of harmony that is most compelling. All of the elements are simply in the right place. The 2016 is tremendous. It's as simple as that. As is often the case, Pontet-Canet is one of the most singular wines in Bordeaux. Alfred Tesseron could have chosen to play things safe when he took over the management of the estate in the mid-1990s. Instead, he chose a very different path. No proprietor in Bordeaux has taken more risks over the last two decades than Alfred Tesseron. A commitment to biodynamic farming, sustainability across the entire estate more broadly, and the adoption of new concepts for Bordeaux, such as aging a portion of the wine in terra cotta, set Pontet-Canet apart from other properties in Pauillac and the Left Bank. Not surprisingly, the wine is also starkly different from the wines of neighboring estates. Drink: 2026-2066. (Jan 2019)"

99 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2016 Pontet-Canet is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it explodes from the glass with bombastic creme de cassis, stewed plums, and blueberry preserves notes, giving way to subtle notions of licorice, lilacs, and damp soil plus a waft of truffles. Full-bodied, it is super concentrated with a lovely line of freshness and ripe, firm, grainy tannins, finishing very long and with amazing purity. Alcohol 14.5%. Drink: 2025-2065. (6/15/22)"

98+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "Reminding me of the 2010 and, I suspect, a wine that will merit a triple-digit rating in a decade or so (I tasted this on multiple occasions and thought it was perfect on one of them), the 2016 Château Pontet-Canet comes from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot that spent 16 months in 50% new French oak, 35% in concrete amphora, and the rest in second fill oak. Thrilling notes of pure crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, crushed mint, graphite, and crushed rock notes all emerge from this deep, powerful, yet elegant Pauillac. The style of this wine has become more and more finesse-driven and pure, yet it hasn’t lost a beat on concentration or length. This singular, beautiful Pontet-Canet needs 7-8 years of cellaring (it has some accessibility today given its purity and balance) and will keep for 4-5 decades. Drinking Window: 2026-2076. (2/28/19)"

98 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "The 2016 is a vintage that shows off the best of Pontet, and is similar in feel to their 2010. Gorgeously rich right from the first nose, it opens stunningly in the glass, showing waves of tight black fruits, touches of redcurrant, liquorice and aniseed, fine tannins and mouthwatering salinity. It manages to remain balanced without losing the punch and concentration of Pauillac, rising up through the palate. It's hard not to fall in love with this wine, and it will clearly age with grace and ease. Bottled in July 2018. Drinking Window: 2026-2042. (10/8/18)"

98+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Pontet-Canet hits the ground running with a hedonic nose of Black Forest cake, crème de cassis and blueberry pie plus suggestions of candied violets, hoisin, chocolate mint, charcuteries and forest floor with a waft of star anise. Full-bodied, rich, profoundly layered and powerfully fruited, the palate is built like a brick house, with very firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and harmonious freshness, finishing with incredible length and depth. Still incredibly primary and yet already strutting so many layers, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this warrants the three-digit score in a few years' time. Drink: 2023-2060. (May 2020)"

98 points Panos Kakaviatos (Decanter): "Top wine of the vertical. Deep, violet hue. Even if the nose is slightly closed, initially, what pure fruit! A degree higher in alcohol than the 2015, but superb balance. The pristine fruit, fine-grained tannins, focus and precision lead to an outstanding finish, surpassing even the 2010. It has the sumptuousness of the 2015, but the arc and tension of the 2010.Great capacity for ageing. Aged 50% new oak , 35% amphora. Drinking Window: 2025-2070. (9/17/21)"

97 points James Suckling: "The aromas of ripe blackcurrants, iodine, sweet tobacco and fresh flowers are spellbinding. Full-bodied with mouth-expanding, massive and natural tannins. Impressive fruit with hints of prunes. The finish is long and powerful. Needs six to seven years to soften and come together. Try from 2025. (12/3/19)"

97 points Falstaff (1/12/22).

96 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot, which I note has changed since the primeurs (with a little more Cabernet and less Merlot). Everything went into Pontet-Canet, says Alfred Tesseron, with no second wine produced. The élevage was in 55% new oak, about 15% in second-fill oak, while 35% was aged in amphorae made of concrete. These figures are consistent with those provided back in April 2017, although I have since noticed they add up to 105%! The wine was tasted at the estate, from a half bottle, which was opened as I arrived, in contrast to most of my appointments where the bottles were usually opened an hour or so before my arrival. It took some time to work the wine in the glass to get in here. It feels very dark, but also warm and ultimately expressive, the fruits perfumed but also lightly grilled, with a touch of warm bake, all swirled with notes of licorice and black bean. The structure says it all though, with a plump, broad and polished substance on the palate, a wealth of warm and spicy oak wrapped within the wine, together with some brooding and spicy fruit. A huge structure here, the palate bursting with ripe and tightly grained tannins, and a very fresh acidity. Full, hedonistic, almost a cherry liqueur concentration and texture here, with a rich and lightly balsamic touch to the fruit. At the primeurs I thought this was a stunner and candidate for best vintage ever from this domaine, although I have to wind back on those thoughts now. Super potential though. (Dec 2018)"