98-100 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot). A wine to convince you of the quality and ripeness of Cabernet Sauvignon in Pauillac in this 2023 vintage, showcasing superbly supple tannins, great balance, depth and savoury blue and black fruit character, bitter cocoa bean, freshly cut herbs, black tea, fennel, all vivid and with purity of character. There is density here but it is not overt, with heightened raspberry leaf, peony and violet aromatics. Vinified in the newly-completed section of the cellars, in egg-shaped wooden vats and sunken qveri-style clay vats. 50% new oak for ageing, with 35% amphora and 15% one year old barrels. One of the wines of the vintage. New lighter bottle as of the 2022 around 490g, down from 815g in the past, 30 tonnes of CO2 saved just in terms of production. Harvest September 7, one day earlier than 2022, then slow picking through to October 10, later than many in Pauillac - and normal yields of around 40hl/h. Alcohol 13.8%. Drink: 2033-2050. (4/15/24)"
97-99 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2023 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of juicy blueberries, black cherries, and blackcurrant jelly spill from the glass, giving way to nuances of violets, black truffle, fertile loam, and mossy tree bark with a hint of cardamom. The medium-bodied palate is so, so silky, elegant, and fine, with perfumed black and blue fruit layers and beautiful tension, finishing long with lots of shimmery mineral and floral sparkles. The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, aged in 50% new oak, 35% amphorae, and 15% used barrels. With an alcohol this year of just 13.8%, this is a beautifully poised, tightly packed powerhouse that promises to keep the firework displays bedazzling collectors for many years to come. Alcohol 13.8%. Drink: 2030-2060. (4/28/24)"
97-99 points Wine Enthusiast: "This is a very aromatic wine with all the Pontet-Canet style of attention to detail. With ripe black-currant fruits, it is beautifully perfumed and dense. Rich tannins and spices are layered with velvet fruits. It is impressive and seriously ageworthy. Organic and biodynamic. (Nov 2024)"
98 points James Suckling: "A crunchy and vivid Pontet Canet with aromas of blueberries, blackberries, roses, violets and some sandalwood and graphite. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are long and caressing. Creamy texture, with crushed stones and light cement. Lots of energy at the end. Very approachable and long. Turns chewy and silky, with a bright and vivid finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. Drink in three or four years.(12/8/25)"
96-98 points Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate): "With the 2023 vintage, this estate has crafted a wine of unprecedented aromatic intensity and precision that marks a significant evolution. Revealing an elegant, fresh bouquet of mulberries and cassis mingled with notions of violets, gentian and menthol, the 2023 Pontet-Canet is medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional, with a pure and precise core of fruit that's framed by ultra-refined tannins and a powerful but controlled profile, concluding with long, mineral, licorice-inflected finish. It's the result of more daring harvest decisions than in previous years: By picking the Merlot earlier to highlight fresh, fruity notes rather than baked, sun-kissed flavors and simultaneously delaying the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest until after September 28 to refine tannins, the 2023 Pontet-Canet marks a significant evolution at this renowned estate. At this early stage, its élevage appears to be more discreet, too. This wine, which I'd be delighted to own, is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, matured in 50% new oak barrels, 35% amphorae and 15% once-used barrels. Drink: 2025-2055. (Apr 2024)"
97 points Panos Kakaviatos (Decanter): "The longest harvest ever at this estate, and it paid off magnificently: lovely red berry and mint freshness, the Cabernet Franc coming to the fore. On the palate, it shows freshness and gorgeous wet stone salinity that rises above many other Pauillac peers. The acidity is very well managed and felt in a tangy (rather than tart) fashion and the wine exhibits superlative ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with tannic finesse as well as structure for the long haul. Normally the estate needs three or four days to harvest the Merlots but extra care was a taken - picking over a 10 day period for the Merlots - to obtain only the very best for the blend, resulting in veritable juiciness, too. Drinking Window: 2030-2055. (4/25/23)"
97 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate rim brightening. Ripe cassis, blackberry confit, some nougat, fine herbal savouriness is in the background. Complex, juicy, ripe black heart cherry, ripe tannins, fine extract sweetness, fresh and long-lasting, red berry nuances, taut, sure maturity and certain ageing potential. (5/24/24)"
95-97 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Blue fruits, sappy herbs, flowers, and subtle graphite notes all emerge from the 2023 Château Pontet-Canet, a medium to full-bodied, concentrated Pauillac that has plenty of mid-palate flesh and texture, ripe, polished tannins, and outstanding length. It's incredibly well-balanced, has a round, layered mouthfeel, and a brilliant sense of salinity and minerality on the finish. It's going to need just short-term cellaring, but this is a gorgeous Pauillac. The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, from healthy yields of 55 hectoliters per hectare. (5/8/24)"
94-97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2023 Pontet-Canet is a powerful, impressively constituted wine. Dark, vibrant and sensual in the glass, the 2023 is somber and mysterious in bearing. Black plum, gravel, lavender, graphite and licorice all meld together in the glass. More than anything else, the 2023 is incredibly well put together. In this vintage, the wine was blended at the beginning of élevage rather than at the end, as was the custom in the past. This is a gorgeous and hugely promising Pontet-Canet. I especially admire its finely cut precision and soaring aromatics. Drink: 2030-2048. (Apr 2024)"
96 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Flowers, cedar, tobacco leaf, black with red currants, and a hint of smoke create the perfume. The palate is full-bodied, ripe, round, and loaded with sweet, fresh, elegant, juicy, pure, black cherries, and blackberries. The wine is relaxed. Nothing is forced. Everything is in the right place. The tannins are long, there is sweetness, length, and nuances of black currants, chocolate, licorice, and mint that make an appearance in the lengthy finish. The wine blends 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.13.8% ABV, pH 3.75. Harvesting took place September 7 - October 10. This is the earliest, as well as the longest harvest in the history of the estate. The success of the vintage is due to the ability to wait for maturity on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The wine is aging in a combination of 50% new, French oak barrels, and 35% Amphora. Drink from 2029-2060. (May 2024)"
96 points Tim Atkin, MW (Apr 2024).
97-99 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2023 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of juicy blueberries, black cherries, and blackcurrant jelly spill from the glass, giving way to nuances of violets, black truffle, fertile loam, and mossy tree bark with a hint of cardamom. The medium-bodied palate is so, so silky, elegant, and fine, with perfumed black and blue fruit layers and beautiful tension, finishing long with lots of shimmery mineral and floral sparkles. The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, aged in 50% new oak, 35% amphorae, and 15% used barrels. With an alcohol this year of just 13.8%, this is a beautifully poised, tightly packed powerhouse that promises to keep the firework displays bedazzling collectors for many years to come. Alcohol 13.8%. Drink: 2030-2060. (4/28/24)"
97-99 points Wine Enthusiast: "This is a very aromatic wine with all the Pontet-Canet style of attention to detail. With ripe black-currant fruits, it is beautifully perfumed and dense. Rich tannins and spices are layered with velvet fruits. It is impressive and seriously ageworthy. Organic and biodynamic. (Nov 2024)"
98 points James Suckling: "A crunchy and vivid Pontet Canet with aromas of blueberries, blackberries, roses, violets and some sandalwood and graphite. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are long and caressing. Creamy texture, with crushed stones and light cement. Lots of energy at the end. Very approachable and long. Turns chewy and silky, with a bright and vivid finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. Drink in three or four years.(12/8/25)"
96-98 points Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate): "With the 2023 vintage, this estate has crafted a wine of unprecedented aromatic intensity and precision that marks a significant evolution. Revealing an elegant, fresh bouquet of mulberries and cassis mingled with notions of violets, gentian and menthol, the 2023 Pontet-Canet is medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional, with a pure and precise core of fruit that's framed by ultra-refined tannins and a powerful but controlled profile, concluding with long, mineral, licorice-inflected finish. It's the result of more daring harvest decisions than in previous years: By picking the Merlot earlier to highlight fresh, fruity notes rather than baked, sun-kissed flavors and simultaneously delaying the Cabernet Sauvignon harvest until after September 28 to refine tannins, the 2023 Pontet-Canet marks a significant evolution at this renowned estate. At this early stage, its élevage appears to be more discreet, too. This wine, which I'd be delighted to own, is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, matured in 50% new oak barrels, 35% amphorae and 15% once-used barrels. Drink: 2025-2055. (Apr 2024)"
97 points Panos Kakaviatos (Decanter): "The longest harvest ever at this estate, and it paid off magnificently: lovely red berry and mint freshness, the Cabernet Franc coming to the fore. On the palate, it shows freshness and gorgeous wet stone salinity that rises above many other Pauillac peers. The acidity is very well managed and felt in a tangy (rather than tart) fashion and the wine exhibits superlative ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with tannic finesse as well as structure for the long haul. Normally the estate needs three or four days to harvest the Merlots but extra care was a taken - picking over a 10 day period for the Merlots - to obtain only the very best for the blend, resulting in veritable juiciness, too. Drinking Window: 2030-2055. (4/25/23)"
97 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate rim brightening. Ripe cassis, blackberry confit, some nougat, fine herbal savouriness is in the background. Complex, juicy, ripe black heart cherry, ripe tannins, fine extract sweetness, fresh and long-lasting, red berry nuances, taut, sure maturity and certain ageing potential. (5/24/24)"
95-97 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Blue fruits, sappy herbs, flowers, and subtle graphite notes all emerge from the 2023 Château Pontet-Canet, a medium to full-bodied, concentrated Pauillac that has plenty of mid-palate flesh and texture, ripe, polished tannins, and outstanding length. It's incredibly well-balanced, has a round, layered mouthfeel, and a brilliant sense of salinity and minerality on the finish. It's going to need just short-term cellaring, but this is a gorgeous Pauillac. The blend is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, from healthy yields of 55 hectoliters per hectare. (5/8/24)"
94-97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2023 Pontet-Canet is a powerful, impressively constituted wine. Dark, vibrant and sensual in the glass, the 2023 is somber and mysterious in bearing. Black plum, gravel, lavender, graphite and licorice all meld together in the glass. More than anything else, the 2023 is incredibly well put together. In this vintage, the wine was blended at the beginning of élevage rather than at the end, as was the custom in the past. This is a gorgeous and hugely promising Pontet-Canet. I especially admire its finely cut precision and soaring aromatics. Drink: 2030-2048. (Apr 2024)"
96 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Flowers, cedar, tobacco leaf, black with red currants, and a hint of smoke create the perfume. The palate is full-bodied, ripe, round, and loaded with sweet, fresh, elegant, juicy, pure, black cherries, and blackberries. The wine is relaxed. Nothing is forced. Everything is in the right place. The tannins are long, there is sweetness, length, and nuances of black currants, chocolate, licorice, and mint that make an appearance in the lengthy finish. The wine blends 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.13.8% ABV, pH 3.75. Harvesting took place September 7 - October 10. This is the earliest, as well as the longest harvest in the history of the estate. The success of the vintage is due to the ability to wait for maturity on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The wine is aging in a combination of 50% new, French oak barrels, and 35% Amphora. Drink from 2029-2060. (May 2024)"
96 points Tim Atkin, MW (Apr 2024).
| Product SKU | 356930 |
| Producer | Pontet-Canet |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| SubRegion | Left Bank |
| Appellation | Pauillac |
| Varietal | Cabernet/Bordeaux Blends |
| Designation | Fifth Growth |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| Blend | 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot |
| ABV | 13.8% |
| Ships To |
