Château Pontet-Canet 2022
• Domaine: Château Pontet Canet
• Appellation: Pauillac
• Classification: Fifth Growth, 5ème Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Left Bank, Bordeaux, France
Many estates in Bordeaux have no qualms embracing the most cutting-edge viticultural technology to improve their chances at producing quality wines. From cryogenic extraction to hail cannons, countless Classified Growths use these sophisticated instruments and constantly look toward the future. At Château Pontet-Canet, they often look to practices of the past both in the vineyards and the vat room. The results speak for themselves. Without a doubt, Château Pontet-Canet has experienced a meteoric rise in demand, producing knockout wines of astounding quality vintage after vintage.
Château Pontet-Canet is a Pauillac estate with origins dating back to the 18th Century. It derives its namesake from the owner, Jean Francois de Pontet, who expanded the vineyard holdings by purchasing new property around the estate. Several years after his death, his descendants acquired newer plots of land including some in the Canet area and thus, it was aptly named Château Pontet-Canet. Once the vineyard was fully established, it was one of the largest estates in the Médoc. Château Pontet-Canet was classified as a Fifth Growth in 1855 and acquired by the Cruse family who owned the estate for 110 years. By 1975, the vineyards had fallen into a state of disrepair. The Cruse family sold it to the Tesseron family, a well-known name in the Bordeaux Wine Trade. They were faced with the momentous task of bringing the vines of Pontet-Canet to its former glory. It was a task perfectly fit for the legendary figure Alfred Tesseron.
Since the Tesseron family took over the estate, they implemented radical changes. Alfred Tesseron does not view himself as a winemaker, he views himself as a farmer. Because of this, the majority of the work at Château Pontet-Canet is about cultivating the best fruit possible and creating wines people want to drink, not taste. Tesseron partnered with Jean Michel Comme, who introduced him to biodynamic viticulture. With commitment and determination, the entire estate was certified biodynamic. Today, everything is done by hand at Château Pontet Canet, and no electricity is used during picking or sorting whatsoever. There is a very firm ethos here based on the idea that less is more - and it definitely shows. Donkeys and Cows are on the property to cultivate organic fertilizer and the fields are ploughed by horses (who occasionally eat the grapes.)
In the Vat Room, there are no computers surveying the fermentation process or electronic devices pumping the wines. Instead, it is a gravity flow operation with members of the Pontet-Canet team surveying the fermentations that occur, 24 hours a day. The wines are aged in a mixture of French Oak barrels and special amphorae that are created from the same limestone in the soil of the vineyards, reintegrating the wine with the terroir it came from. The results are powerful, friendly, and charming wines that are meant to be enjoyed, appreciated, and laid down to age.
Tasting Notes
"A sensational Pauillac as well as the finest wine from this château since the 2009 (although the 2010 might have something to say about that), the 2022 Château Pontet-Canet sports a deep purple hue as well as a heavenly perfume of crème de cassis, smoke, incense, leafy tobacco, and chocolate. This beauty has sensational purity, a deep, layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, flawless balance, and incredible precision and detail in its aromas and flavors. Despite its opulence and power, it has a solid underlying structure, and its tannins are sweet and polished; it has remarkable depth and concentration, and it just does everything right. I wouldn't be surprised to see this firm up slightly over the coming 3-5 years, although I don't expect it to truly shut down. It should have 40, 50, if not 60 years of overall longevity. The 2022 is based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 50% new barrels, 35% in amphora, and the rest in once-used oak." - Jeb Dunnuck (02/27/2025), Ratings: 100, Drink: 2037-2097
"The 2022 Pontet-Canet is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot, aging 50% in new oak barrels, 35% in amphoras, and 15% in used barrels. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs considerable swirling and coaxing to reveal aromas of damp earth, fragrant soil, crushed rocks, and underbrush, giving way to a profound core of blackcurrant cordial, juicy black plums, and fresh blackberries. The full-bodied palate is laden with nuanced black fruits, slowly releasing earthy and mineral-laced flavors, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. Talk about tasting the place! This is Pauillac in all its powerful, energetic glory. " - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent, (05/15/2023), Ratings: 99-100
"The 2022 Pontet-Canet is a super-refined wine from the Tesseron family. It is perhaps a touch less opulent than in years past, but in exchange, it boasts more energy, focus and cut, all qualities that are so welcome here. Bright red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint and mocha all build effortlessly in the glass. In 2022, Pontet Canet is shaping up to be an absolute gem." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, (01/28/2025), Ratings: 97
"Deep plum colour, iodine on the nose, this is gorgeously nuanced, does not give the impression of an extremely hot dry vintage, and retains energy. Perhaps not quite the depth through the mid palate of the very best vintages of Pontet, but packed with graphite, crushed raspberry, griotte cherry, black chocolate, crayon. Bright lift through the palate, along with high spice, and muscular tannnins. Shorter than average ageing, finishing in cement vats for five months. A single point upscore. First year with lighter bottle." - Jane Anson, (03/07/2025), Ratings: 96