Chateau Pontet Canet 2011

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "So smooth, this is a rich, grandiose wine. Although it is full of black currant fruits and spice flavors, the texture is most impressive. Dusty tannins are integrated with juicy fruits seamlessly. The purest fruit flavors are allied to linear tannins in a precise yet generous way. The wine is evolving beautifully, but do not drink before 2020."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A wine with lots of ripe berries, verging on dried fruits. Full and chewy with ripe, round, chewy tannins. It needs lots of bottle age. A wine of steel. From biodynamically grown grapes, as always. Better than from barrel. Try in 2018."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung, feinwürzig unterlegte Kirschenfrucht, zart nach Trockengewürzen, ein Hauch von Zwetschken und Orangenzesten, etwas Nougat. Saftig, rotbeerig, angenehme Extraktsüße, im Moment noch sehr präsente, würzige Tannine, bleibt gut haften, mineralischer Nachhall, gutes Zukunftspotenzial."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep garnet in color, the 2011 Pontet-Canet comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of redcurrant jelly, warm cassis and blackberry pie plus touches of dried mint, mocha, smoked meats and yeast extract with a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has bags of energy with lively red and black fruits and compelling mineral accents, finishing long with a provocative lift."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Medium bodied, forward, early drinking style with a focus on dark red fruits and freshness which makes this great for tasting, while waiting for vintages like 2005, 2009 and 2010 to come around."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This cuts a broad swath, with prominent notes of espresso and ganache leading to the core of crushed plum and blackberry confiture. Lush, with the ganache edge joining a loamy hint to underscore the finish. Consistent with the barrel tasting, this shows more breadth than cut in the end. Best from 2016 through 2026."