2016 Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note
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2016
Château Pontet-Canet (Pauillac)
Almost opaque in color, the wine kicks off with smoky blackberries, wet earth, underbrush, licorice, black cherry, and currants. Full-bodied, rich, and intense, the wine is incredibly concentrated. Think of placing a magnum of wine into a single bottle! And yet, somehow, everything here is in balance. There is a vibrancy to the fruit that you feel from start to finish. The depth of flavor holds your focus for close to 60 seconds as the wine builds, expands, and paints your palate with flavor. If you are a fan of Pontet Canet, you want this wine in your cellar. When fully mature, this is a candidate for perfection. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. 14.5% ABV. Drink from 2030-2065. 17,811 Views Tasted Jul 9, 2022Still holding on to the color of a barrel sample, the wine combines purity, elegance, power, freshness and complexity. The fruit builds and expands. Mouth coating and palate staining, it is hard to decide what I like more, the elegance, purity, silky texture or incredible length. Clearly, this is one of the great vintages for Pontet Canet! 18,562 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019Power, elegance, refinement, depth, and length are like everything else with this wine in perfect harmony. Floral in nature, the dark cassis, blackberry, tobacco, and wet earth notes in the perfume stand out. But its the purity of the fruit and the elegance in the character that leaves you wanting another sniff, swirl and sip. The silky textured tannins and sweetness in the fruit in the fruit seals the deal! 17,839 Views Tasted May 13, 2018Cassis drenched flowers, lead pencil, clay, spice, blackberry and cigar box aromatics win you over immediately. Purity and freshness, balance and harmony with length and character, this wine sneaks up on you -- it tastes and feels wonderful. The finish keeps going, building in intensity and flavor, moving from red to black fruits, leaving you with red berries, spice and minerality. The tannins are silky, the fruit is sweet and there is more than ample lift here. The wine just does not quit. Produced from blending 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine is aging in 55% new French oak barrels, 35% in amphora and the remainder of wine in one year old casks. The harvest took place September 28 to October 12. 30,837 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 |
When to Drink Chateau Pontet Canet, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Pontet Canet is not at its best in its youth, even with several hours of decanting. This is due to the high levels of tannins and intense concentration in the wine. The wine is usually better at 10-12-15 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character.
In the best years, the wine will be at its best between 15 and 45 years of age after the vintage. Young vintages can be decanted for 2-4 hours. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Serving Chateau Pontet Canet, with Wine and Food Pairings
Chateau Pontet Canet is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Pontet Canet is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Pontet Canet is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, pasta and a myriad of hard and soft cheeses.
Jean Michel Comme also owns his own biodynamically farmed vineyard, Champ des Treilles in the Sainte Foy appellation.