CHÂTEAU PONTET CANET

Black fruits dominate both nose and palate lots of cassis and black cherry. The mid palate is rich with sweet ripe fruit lots of concentration the fruits underpinned by coffee beans and liquorice. The tannins although firm feel ripe and there is bilberry freshness at the back brightening the finish. 2020-35 Rating: 89-94 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)

What is a primeur report without one of Pauillac’s most dynamic estate? I made the trip through the rain to taste their 2012. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot, the latter was cropped from 4th October and the Cabernet Sauvignon from 11th October, finishing six days later. The 50% of the crop once aged in new oak and one-year old barrels are now matured in concrete vats whilst 35% of the crop is aged in clay amphora quarried from their own vineyard. There is certainly great purity and terroir expression on the nose: blackberry, briary and background scents of fresh raspberry and cold stone. The definition is very impressive. The palate is interesting – quite different from the previous vintages. I love the tannins here – very fine but lending the Pontet-Canet great backbone It is utterly harmonious but I feel more understated, perhaps more controlled than recent vintages. The finish is much more introspective – a Pauillac politely informing you to go away and wait before bottling before making any judgement! This is a divine Pontet Canet - very succinct. Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)

(65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot): Deep purple-ruby. Perfumed nose of violet and ripe blackberry jam. Smooth, rich and almost sweet on entry, then increasingly austere, with the sweet cassis and delicate herbal flavors overshadowed by rising, raw tannins. I detected a slightly green quality on the long finish. Though this wine lacks the amazingly sweet flesh of the '09 and '10 wines, and the classic elegance of the '08, I like its precision. Alfred Tesseron told me the estate picked late, on October 4, to offer the grapes a greater chance of reaching suitable ripeness, but they harvested quickly, using an extra sorting table. Rating: 89-92 Ian d'Agata, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2013)

A softer, less powerful and less prodigiously endowed Pontet Canet, the 2012 exhibits notes of creme de cassis and new barrique vanillin followed by a medium-bodied, elegant wine with sweeter tannin (and less of it) than is found in the great vintages that immediately precede it. The 2012 is certainly outstanding and, in fact, many readers may prefer it to the blockbuster, out-of-this-world, over-sized 2010, 2009 and 2008. Medium-bodied, pure and expressive, this classic Pauillac should only require 5-6 years of cellaring. It should drink well for two decades thereafter. No one will confuse the 2012 Pontet Canet with the 2008, 2009 or 2010, but proprietor Alfred Tesseron has turned in another high level performance in this more challenging vintage (especially true in the Medoc). 2018 - 2038 Rating: 91-94 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Picked 4-17 October. Blackish purple. Much gentler than most. Easy and round and sating smooth and gouleyant with sufficient freshness – just. Very plush and round and easy. Lots of freshness. Highly distinctive. Rather dry and sudden on the end but really lovely on the way there. Gorgeous start and middle. I'm worried only by the finish. All texture and first two thirds of the experience. 2018 - 2030. Rating: 17.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)

Winemaker Jean-Michel Cosme concedes that the vicissitudes of the vintage made it harder to use organic and biodynamic practices, but seems happy with the result. This is a step down from recent stellar vintages, but it’s still a dense, if oaky red, with a mixture of leafy, minty and slightly over-ripe flavours. The oak needs to integrate here, but the firm tannins should soften in barrel and bottle. Drink: 2022-30. Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2013)

Dense colour, superb nose of blackberry and black cherry fruit, really lovely silky texture, with all the power and elegance of a great Pauillac. Drink: 2017 - 2035 Rating: 18 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2013)

Total and utter harmony, with exceptionally well-knit fruit, layers of flavour and an incredible finish. Rating: 19 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2013)