Chateau Pontet Canet 2015

JAMES SUCKLING: "So much floral and dark-fruit character with almonds and walnut shell. Full body and ultra-fine tannins. Powerful. Classic style with a harmony and energy. Goes on for minutes. A superb wine with great fruit. Real Bordeaux. Try in 2025."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Pontet-Canet comes charging out of the glass with fantastically expressive notes of black cherry preserves, black raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles plus touches of kirsch, wilted roses, tobacco, camphor and cinnamon stick with a waft of fragrant soil. Full bodied, the palate is laden with black and red fruit layers, supported by very firm, very finely grained tannins and provocative freshness, finishing with incredible length and stunningly perfumed."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "Succulent fruits, rich tannins and juicy acidity are in perfect harmony in this wine produced from biodynamic grapes. It has a rich, velvet texture and dense structure, sumptuous and already balanced and delicious. However do not be fooled, this is a serious wine for aging. Drink no earlier than 2026."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zarte Kräuterwürze, ein Hauch von Lakritze, schwarze Kirschen im Hintergrund, rauchig unterlegte Mineralität. Kraftvoll, saftig und süß, perfekt eingebettete Tannine, schokoladiger Touch im Abgang, eingelegte Kirschen im Finale, bleibt sehr lange haften, sicheres Reifepotenzial, aber schon jetzt antrinkbar."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "A fabulous wine that has really developed well since it was first placed in barrel. Rich, dense and intense, the wine is deeply colored powerful and refined. The wine will hit the middle and probably the top of my initial score range with ease."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2015 Pontet Canet is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot brought up in 50% new oak, and 35% in amphora. With textbook Pauillac notes of lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, smoke, and licorice, as well as a core of pure crème de cassis fruit, this beautiful, full-bodied, impeccably balanced is one of the few 2015s that’s going to demand cellaring. The tannin are high, yet sweet, and like its bright acidity, nicely integrated into the wine. Forget bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following three decades. I don’t put this as the level of the 2009 and 2010, but it’s still a beautiful wine. Tasted three times."

DECANTER: "Ruby with a purple rim, no second wine made starting with this vintage. More expressive and opulent aromatics than in 2014, with ripe red and black fruit. The irresistible, juicy palate with creamy texture recalls the 2010, but lacks the same tension and structure. It resembles the 2009, enjoyed over lunch after the morning vertical, but with more focus and fruit purity, including primary blackberry, plum and cassis. Long finish. Aged 50% new oak , 35% amphora. Drinking Window 2021 - 2060"

WEINWISSER: "Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Recht offenes, ausladendes Bouquet mit delikaten Zedernholznoten, Kaffee und Backpflaumen; zeigt eine schöne Terroirsüsse an. Im Gaumen mit einem kernigpfeffrigen Extrakt, der eine gesunde Tannin- Adstringenz aufweist. Er hat etwa gleich viel Muskeln wie Fleisch und wird einen klassischen, vielleicht gar etwas traditionell anmutenden, geduldigen Pontet- Canet abgeben."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This sports a lovely core of gently steeped plum, blackberry and black currant fruit, carried by velvety structure, while smoldering tobacco and charcoal notes fill in through the finish. Fleshes out steadily in the glass, revealing more juniper, bay leaf and loam accents. Best from 2022 through 2035."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Deep colour to the rim. Rich and concentrated but the aromatics a little blurred. Dark fruit with initially a hint of black olive. Palate supple, opulent with powerful but polished tannins. Lacks a little precision but plenty of depth and flavour and just enough freshness. Worth waiting to see how it develops."