Château Pontet-Canet 2023
Pauillac 5ème Grand Cru Classé
Bordeaux, France
Regular price£497.15
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Arriving: In Stock
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| Style: Red | Packaging: OWC |
| ABV: 14.0% | Closure: Cork |
| Organic: | Drink from: 2030 |
| Biodynamic: | Drink to: 2050 |
| Grapes: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot | |
Critic scores
97 RP, 94 NM, 98 AG, 98 JS, 99 JA
Critic reviews
"Meeting the expectations set at the en primeur tastings, the 2023 Pontet-Canet wafts from the glass with a vibrant, perfumed bouquet of cassis, mulberries, rose petals, pencil shavings and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, seamless and pure, it is layered and precise, framed by filigreed tannins and delivering a powerful yet controlled profile that extends into a long, crystalline, licorice-inflected finish. A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, it signals a new aesthetic era for the estate, marked by greater purity, brightness and precision."
Yohan Castaing, April 2026, RobertParker.com
"The 2023 Pontet Canet was bottled in mid-July 2025 and it was the first vintage that used air conditioning in the barrel cellar, also the first not using the large vats. There was also a reconfiguration of cooperages used during the ageing. It has a tightly knit bouquet with those dark cherries and blackcurrant scents noted previously, albeit with a subtle cassis scent emerging with time. This is nicely poised and more classical in style compared to previous vintages. Free sulphites here are around 30 mg/L. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly edgy tannins, more tension and mineralité tucked into this vintage than the 2022. Nicely composed towards the finish with a residual pepperiness that lingers, this is a fine Pontet Canet. Tasted three times including at the château."
Neal Martin, February 2026, Vinous.com
"The 2023 Pontet-Canet envelops the palate with silky tannins as hints of vibrant red-toned fruit, crushed flowers, spice and dried herbs fill out the layers. The 2023 is an exceptionally finessed Pontet-Canet. This is the first vintage in which the Grand Vin was blended early—in December following the harvest—as opposed to just before bottling, which had been the norm. That's one of many changes that resulted in a striking wine endowed with superb finesse. Tasted two times."
Antonio Galloni, March 2026, Vinous.com
"A crunchy and vivid Pontet Canet with aromas of blueberries, blackberries, roses, violets and some sandalwood and graphite. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are long and caressing. Creamy texture, with crushed stones and light cement. Lots of energy at the end. Very approachable and long. Turns chewy and silky, with a bright and vivid finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. Drink in three or four years."
James Suckling, January 2026, JamesSuckling.com
"One of the wines of the vintage. Slow and steady unrolling of spice, capsicum, fresh acidities, crushed oyster shell and peony, cassis, squid ink and blueberry. Elegant and finessed, capturing the heart of Cabernet Sauvignon in a way that makes me think of Zuccardi and Malbec. Bright unrolling through the palate, great precision and quality with a ton of freshly cut herbs, black tea and fennel, giving life and focus. This was blended before ageing for the first time for at least a decade. Vinified in egg-shaped wooden vats and sunken qvevri-style clay vats. 50% new oak for ageing, with 35% amphora and 15% one year old barrels. New lighter bottle as of the 2022 around 490g, down from 815g in the past, 30 tonnes of CO2 saved just in terms of production. Harvest September 7, one day earlier than 2022, then slow picking through to October 10, later than many in Pauillac - and normal yields of around 40hl/h. Technical director here Mathieu Bessonnet."
Jane Anson, March 2026, JaneAnson.com
Yohan Castaing, April 2026, RobertParker.com
"The 2023 Pontet Canet was bottled in mid-July 2025 and it was the first vintage that used air conditioning in the barrel cellar, also the first not using the large vats. There was also a reconfiguration of cooperages used during the ageing. It has a tightly knit bouquet with those dark cherries and blackcurrant scents noted previously, albeit with a subtle cassis scent emerging with time. This is nicely poised and more classical in style compared to previous vintages. Free sulphites here are around 30 mg/L. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly edgy tannins, more tension and mineralité tucked into this vintage than the 2022. Nicely composed towards the finish with a residual pepperiness that lingers, this is a fine Pontet Canet. Tasted three times including at the château."
Neal Martin, February 2026, Vinous.com
"The 2023 Pontet-Canet envelops the palate with silky tannins as hints of vibrant red-toned fruit, crushed flowers, spice and dried herbs fill out the layers. The 2023 is an exceptionally finessed Pontet-Canet. This is the first vintage in which the Grand Vin was blended early—in December following the harvest—as opposed to just before bottling, which had been the norm. That's one of many changes that resulted in a striking wine endowed with superb finesse. Tasted two times."
Antonio Galloni, March 2026, Vinous.com
"A crunchy and vivid Pontet Canet with aromas of blueberries, blackberries, roses, violets and some sandalwood and graphite. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are long and caressing. Creamy texture, with crushed stones and light cement. Lots of energy at the end. Very approachable and long. Turns chewy and silky, with a bright and vivid finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. 52% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. Drink in three or four years."
James Suckling, January 2026, JamesSuckling.com
"One of the wines of the vintage. Slow and steady unrolling of spice, capsicum, fresh acidities, crushed oyster shell and peony, cassis, squid ink and blueberry. Elegant and finessed, capturing the heart of Cabernet Sauvignon in a way that makes me think of Zuccardi and Malbec. Bright unrolling through the palate, great precision and quality with a ton of freshly cut herbs, black tea and fennel, giving life and focus. This was blended before ageing for the first time for at least a decade. Vinified in egg-shaped wooden vats and sunken qvevri-style clay vats. 50% new oak for ageing, with 35% amphora and 15% one year old barrels. New lighter bottle as of the 2022 around 490g, down from 815g in the past, 30 tonnes of CO2 saved just in terms of production. Harvest September 7, one day earlier than 2022, then slow picking through to October 10, later than many in Pauillac - and normal yields of around 40hl/h. Technical director here Mathieu Bessonnet."
Jane Anson, March 2026, JaneAnson.com