2013 Pontet Canet
By Chateau Pontet Canet
2013 Pontet Canet from Chateau Pontet Canet, Pauillac, Bordeaux
As a wine critic, I am continually seeking to unearth the gems that define their vintage. The 2013 Pontet Canet from Chateau Pontet Canet is one such example, having navigated a challenging year to emerge with commendable character.
Traversing the Trials of Terroir
The narrative of 2013 in Bordeaux is one of tenacity and expertise; a year that demanded an astute understanding of Pauillac’s hallowed terroir to overcome adverse climatic whims. With their organic and biodynamic principles firmly rooted, Chateau Pontet Canet has crafted a wine that deftly reflects the intricacies of this testing season.
A Vintage Defined by Precision and Patience
Tasting the 2013 Pontet Canet, one is met with an assemblage that speaks to the diligence required in such a year. The mélange of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, among others, boasts an equilibrium resonant of the producer's adept selection and assiduous vineyard management. This is manifest in the wine's restrained fruit core, shrewdly interwoven tannins, and a resolute structure that promises maturation with grace.
It is often said that less propitious vintages herald wines of fleeting charm; the 2013 challenges this notion. Peppered with subtle hints of cassis and graphite, there is an undoubted presence of Pauillac’s masculine energy, albeit expressed with unexpected delicacy amidst the surrounding robustness.
An Illustration of Investment-Worthy Adaptability
Fine wine investors will appreciate the 2013 Pontet Canet not merely for its immediate sensorial rewards but more so for its evolutionary potential. As it marches through time, this vintage will no doubt unravel further nuances, true to the philosophy at Chateau Pontet Canet that every bottle offers a tale of its provenance and year.
In sum, for those seeking to diversify portfolios or simply indulge in an articulate testament to winemaking resilience, the 2013 Pontet Canet merits attention. It stands as a singular voice among its peers; a vintage sculpted not only by environment but equally by human endeavour and vision.
Market price (CAD)
$1,070.00
12x75cl
Highest score
92
POP score
53.33
Scores and tasting notes
Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2013 Pontet-Canet is evolving into tobacco, new leather and dried mulberries scents with a core of kirsch, baked plums and cigar box plus a waft of Indian spices. Medium-bodied, elegantly styled and wonderfully refreshing in the mouth, it has a solid line of grainy tannins and loads of mineral sparks on the finish.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 29 May 2020
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this biodynamically farmed vineyard (a rarity, but increasing in the Bordeaux viticulture), had tiny yields of 15 hectoliters per hectare. This doesn't translate into super concentration, but this is certainly an outstanding effort in an extremely difficult vintage. The wine has a dense purple color, and classic creme de cassis, licorice and mocha and espresso roast notes that Pontet-Canet has displayed recently. The wine is medium-bodied, possesses excellent purity, equilibrium and sweet, but noticeable tannin. This is by no means at the level of the great vintages that have been so common of late from this incredible property on the Plateau of Pauillac across from Mouton Rothschild, but it's certainly one of the vintage's more noteworthy efforts. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 15 or so years.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #214 Aug 2014
In 2013, the Pontet Canet is a blend of around 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. There is about 50% new oak, 35% amphora and 15% in one-year old wood. The nose is quite light for Pontet Canet, the Merlot actually more expressive than the Cabernet Sauvignon at the moment. There is something almost northern Italian about the aromatics, warmth not European but something further south. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly meaty entry. The tannins are a little coarse at the moment but they will soften with time. There is an attractive spicy tincture here, although there is not a great deal of depth on the finish, which is typically quite linear for the vintage. Again, the clay amphora, do lend this wine something tertiary or at least "of the ground". I do not think this is a long term Chateau Pontet Canet, but it should drink well over the next 8 to 10 years. Tasted April 2014.
Neal Martin - Wine Advocate - Wine Journal