2022 Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac

Château Pontet-Canet isn’t just another Fifth Growth. This Pauillac powerhouse has spent centuries defying expectations, evolving from its humble 18th-century roots into one of Bordeaux’s most boundary-pushing estates. What started as a neighbor to First Growth royalty has now carved its own legend—thanks to a relentless pursuit of purity, precision, and an almost rebellious commitment to biodynamicslong before it was fashionable.

Under the guidance of Alfred Tesseron, Pontet-Canet has rewritten the rules of Bordeaux winemaking. Forget the cookie-cutter château approach—here, the vineyards hum with life, nurtured by organic and biodynamic farming, draft horsesreplacing tractors, and amphoras sharing cellar space with French oak. The result? A wine that pulses with energy, purity, and an unmistakable sense of place.

The 2022 vintage is a showstopper, an iron fist wrapped in velvet. A deep, nearly opaque hue sets the stage for layers of cassis, black cherry, violets, licorice, and sweet tobacco, unfolding in a symphony of freshness and finesse. Critics are raving: 98-99 points from VertdeVin, 98 points from Wine Enthusiast, Adrian van Velsen, and Falstaff, all highlighting the wine’s luxurious texture, elegance, and staying power. This is Pontet-Canet in its prime—bold yet graceful, powerful yet precise.

Drink now or hold until 2060—if you can resist. The 2022 Bordeaux vintage was one for the history books, and Château Pontet-Canet is leading the charge.

Aging: 50% new French oak, 35% concrete amphoras, 15% used barriques

The concentration of dried herbs such as thyme, sage and mint with blackcurrants and Spanish cedar is mesmerizing. Full-bodied with a dense and intense palate, this has creamy, crunchy tanninsand a long and flavorful finish that goes on for minutes. Punchy and rich with lots of power. The real identity of Pontet-Canet comes through despite the hot and dry growing year. 57% cabernet sauvignon, 35% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes. Best after 2029. ~99-100 JS

The 2022 Château Pontet-Canet is brilliant and should easily be up with the crème de la crème from the Médoc. Based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 4% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it was vinified mostly in concrete (there's a small part in wood), and the aging is in 50% new French oak, 35% in amphora, and the rest in once-used barrels. It has an incredibly pure bouquet of cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and scorched earth. This carries to a full-bodied Pauillac with a deep, layered mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. It has the purity, richness, and structure that makes this vintage so compelling and is going to be drinkable with just 4-6 years of bottle age but have an incredibly long life. ~97-99+ JD

The 2022 Pontet-Canet is a surprising wine. Usually much more opulent, especially in warm, dry years, the 2022 comes across as restrained and understated. It is a wine of linear intensity rather than size, marked by notable freshness and a feeling of tension and precision I don't recall seeing in the past. Clean mineral notes extend the finish effortlessly. I very much admire the precision and vibrancy here. Unforgettable. ~95-97 AG-VM

The 2022 Pontet Canet has a pure nose with perfumed blackberry and cassis fruit. It takes time to cohere, evolving light pencil lead notes after 8-10 minutes. The palate has a lovely chalky texture on the entry, and a silver bead of acidity. Perhaps, more complexity than the aromatics suggest at the moment. Fine balance, moderate grip, the mineralit4 coming toward the final third, it fans out with gusto. There is quite a long residual peppery note on the aftertaste that you can feel after 30 seconds. I have not pulled any punches in recent vintages, when stylistically, I felt that it has veered too far away from Pauillac, for my personal taste. But closely examining this 2022, today, it seems safely within the appellation. ~94-96 NM-VM

Vibrant, vivid purple colour in the glass, rich and deep. Smells bright, super fresh and expressive on the nose with freshly-picked blackcurrants and perfumed purple flowers - the Petit Verdot, really standing out. Clean and clear, creamy, powdery and softly chewy on the palate. The texture is lovely, you can tell they haven't over extracted but there’s still clear concentration with a gentle succulence provided by the acidity, cool freshness and appealing mineral touches alongside liquorice, clove, dried herbs and bitter chocolate. Enjoyable and well defined if still a little compact. 3.85pH. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 15% press wine used. Harvest 8 - 28 September, the earliest and longest ever. 20% lower yields than in 2021. The technical team used a clay sunscreen on the grapes to avoid burning. Tasted twice. ~95 Decanter