Pontet-Canet Pauillac 2021

97 points/'Editors' Choice,' Wine Enthusiast: "Pure berry fruit and cedar aromas, the wine has great purity. It is a straight line of freshness as well as black-currant fruits and ripe acidity. The wine is beautifully textured and firm at its core. Drink from 2028. Organic and biodynamic. Alcohol 13%. (Jul 2024)"

96 points La Revue du Vin de France: "The 2021 confirms its greatness! The wine offers absolutely magnificent refinement and subtlety. Endowed with fresh fruit, it unfolds on the palate with great smoothness and silkiness. The texture is superb, the fruit is well-balanced, and the tannins are delicate. One of the most charming wines of the vintage. (2025)"

96 points Bettane & Desseauve Guide (2025).

95 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): "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 gives 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 eucalyptus, perfumed berry and black pepper touch. 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. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Drinking Window: 2026-2050. (Apr 2022)"

95 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc). 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 pessure, 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. Harvest 24 september until 12 October. 50% new oak, 35% amphora, 15% one year barrels, 15% press (aged in the amphora). Alcohol 13%. Drink: 2026-2044. (4/7/22))"

95 points James Suckling: "This is a very pretty 2021 with a solid, beautiful mid-palate and density. Juicy fruit, slightly chewy tannins and a savory finish. Hints of graphite. Drink or hold. (7/8/24)"

95 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Blackberries, flowers, cigar box, herbs, espresso, and spearmint nuances pop from the glass with only a few swirls. On the palate, the wine is vibrant, fresh, and medium/full-bodied, with blackberries, chocolate, black currants, orange citrus, espresso, and spice. This is a forward-styled vintage that will be quite a treat to start drinking in its youth. Yet it will age for decades. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2028-2055. (6/27/24)"

95 points International Wine Report: "[$150 list] The 2021 Pontet-Canet begins with inviting aromatics of black raspberries, dark cherries and hints of blueberries, which are woven together with cedar box, tobacco, fresh violets, licorice along with underlying soil and wet gravel nuances all developing beautifully in the glass. On the palate this possesses a medium-plus body with a gorgeous polished texture, driven by a ripe core that delivers flavors of black raspberries, black plums, spices and tobacco flavors that linger through the well-defined finish. This is a fantastic showing in this vintage, composed of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. Drink: 2028-2048. (May 2024)"

94 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2021 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly unfurls to reveal expressive notes of crunchy black cherries, fresh blueberries, and black raspberries, leading to suggestions of wet slate, black olives, rose petals, and cardamon. The light to medium-bodied palate is bright and lively, with wonderfully pure black fruit and mineral-inspired flavors and a fine-grained texture, finishing with a floral lift. Alcohol 13%. Drink: 2026-2050. (4/23/24)"

94 points Rod Smith (TimAtkin.com) (May 2022).