CHÂTEAU PONTET CANET 2015

Château Pontet Canet 2015

“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.” – 98/100, James Suckling

VARIETIES: : 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
REGION: France / Bordeaux / Médoc / Pauillac
AGEING: 16 to 18 months, aged in 50% new oak, 35% concrete amphorae and 15% one-year-old oak
SERVE: Serve at 16 – 18ºC
FITS TO: Accompany ishes such as Tournedos of Duck Rossini, Roasted Wild Boar Leg,  Stew of Marcassin Confit with Peppers or Beef Tenderloin with Morel Sauce or Eve, uncooked cheeses like Cantal, Old Mimolette, Morbier, Saint-Nectaire and Tomme de Savoie
CRITICS SCORES: 98/JS, 97/RP, 97/WE, 96/D, 95/JD. 94/WS
VIVINO: Average 4.5 ★★★★✰

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5ᵉ Grand Cru Classé – 1855, Pauillac Appellation | Range | Château Pontet Canet 2015

In terms of the weather, although 2015 was slightly warmer than average, it was above all very dry (706 mm of rain, compared with an annual average of 862 mm), especially between February and July, from budbreak to veraison. As a result, the berries remained small, which explains why the yield was rather low even though we had hopes of a normal crop after flowering. Rainfall in August and September was higher than average, which helped to prevent the ripening process from coming to a halt in a vineyard already stressed by the lack of water. As a result, the grapes matured at rather different rates from one plot to another, according to the variety, the age of the vines and the terroir.

In order to ensure that each grape variety and each plot was picked at optimum maturity, the harvest period was the longest in living memory. It lasted 23 days between our three estates, from the first Merlot clusters on 14 September to the last Cabernet Sauvignon grapes on 6 October. The grapes were magnificent, and fermentation took place quickly. The wines immediately showed plenty of colour and a complete array of very intense aromas ranging from red and black fruit to spice and incense. The tannins are generally very well-rounded, dense and seamlessly smooth. After blending, the wines still have the same aromatic intensity and complex, full-bodied structures which barrel-maturing should further enhance. Our 2015 vintage in Pauillac is very similar in its heft and opulence to the 2005 vintage.

Thirty years after their arrival in Pauillac, the Tesserons can be proud of having gradually restructured the entire vineyard as well as renovating the cellars and service buildings. Château Pontet-Canet is located in the heart of the Pauillac appellation, just south of châteaux Mouton Rothschild and d’Armailhac. It has the poor gravelly soil typical of the greatest vineyards. In fact, the soil has so much gravel and sand that it is difficult to imagine that anything could grow there at all. The château’s winegrowing philosophy is to intervene as little as possible and as naturally as possible in the vineyard. Only traditional viticultural and cultivation practices are used. Chemical weed killers are banned in keeping with environmental protection, and priority is given to the vine’s long-term health. Fertilisers are uniquely organic, and only used on plots that genuinely require extra nutrition. This helps to maintain a good balance and self-regulated low yields, as well as to respect the vines, reflect the terroir, and produce pure, natural wine. In 2003, a purification station was built. 2005 was the first harvest using biodynamic practices throughout the whole property of 81 hectares. In 2005, the second vat room was restored and modified at the image of the first one which dates back to the 19th century, with concrete truncated cone- shaped vats allowing fermentation by natural gravity flow, without the use of pressure or pumping. A part of the vineyard is worked with horses since 2008.