Pontet Canet is one of my favorite Bordeaux estates that I follow since 1994… As 2019 is one of my favorite vintage also, I bought a few bottles based on the lofty reviews of the Wine Advocate which called it “potentially 100 points”… So far so good… But then, to my big surprise, I read the notes of two of my favorite reviewers, starting with William Kelley that calls it “Gigondas like”… And a few days later, Jeb Dunnuck, my favorite Rhone reviewer puts it in the lowest scores (I don’t know if I’m allowed to publish official scores here…)
What could go so wrong between the barrel tasting and the bottling with this wine???
I can recall two examples where the barrel sample was much better than the bottled wine. First was a Hermann Wiemer 1995 Pinot noir. Second was my own wine. I have no idea what happened with the Wiemer although other winemakers in the region attributed the change to how he filtered the wine. On my own wine (a red field blend) nothing changed. All I did was bottle it and it changed from a nice mid weight floral wine to one with suppressed aromatics that tasted thin and angry. I know angry isn’t a technical term but it is an apt description in this case. Years in the bottle never fixed the wine and I have no idea why or how it transformed to such a degree.
No offense to William or Jeb, who are both talented reviewers, but the two reviews of this wine that matter most are Neal Martin’s and Jane Anson’s. Neal gives the wine 94 points in bottle and Jane gives it 98 points. Jane thinks it is one of the best Pontet Canet’s ever made and up scored it from en primeur. So I wouldn’t conclude yet that the wine has dropped from barrel sample to bottle. Time for us to open some bottles and decide for ourselves.
There is a bit of discussion about the 2019 Pontet Canet in the 2019 Bordeaux thread below, on Page 9. William Kelley offers some excellent insight. FWIW, I bought a few bottles of the 2019 as the futures price was around $85. However, the last Pontet Canet that I have tried was the 2012, so I have no experience with later vintages. I remember going to a tasting of 2012’s years ago and Clyde from K&L opined that this would be the last vintage of PC that would be less than $100, which helped me to decide to buy the 2019.
It’s not about barrel versus bottle. It’s about critics with different palates. Personally, I’ll put my money on William, whose palate tends to align with mine. But others may find Lisa P-B’s ratings more useful, given their preferences.
This same issue came up a week ago in another thread, where someone was shocked that a 2012 Bevan Ontogeny was downgraded from 99 to 95 points six years later in the WA. Again, it was different WA reviewers.
Neal and Jane are now the most credible and experienced English-language Bordeaux critics in the world, who are still in the prime of their careers. The market is aligned with that perspective, and values their scores above all others. That doesn’t mean their notes are always or even more often “right”, but it does mean their notes “matter” more in the overall perception of quality. Again, it’s not a knock on William or Jeb. Personally I’ll look forward to tasting the wine this summer and forming my own opinion.
Ehem, of course that is highly subjective, as is my opinion that follows. Most of what I buy is Bordeaux, and have for many years, and do not really pay attention to either Neal or Jane very much. Frankly, Pontet Canet is not that interesting of a wine. I don’t buy it and have none in my cellar. There are so many other interesting, classic Bordeaux to fawn over. Did you see William’s review on the 2019 PC? I assume LPB did the EP review, what do you expect from a reviewer that prefers black Forrest cake?
I’m not sure it’s a “problem,” whatever the reason for the difference. Just different palates/preferences. It’s only a problem if you believe there’s an objective score for every wine.
Indeed, her 98-100 score was based on the Black Forest cake elements – chocolate and cherries!
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: 98-100 points
The blend this year is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Very deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Pontet-Canet has the most gorgeous, lifted perfume of lilacs, > dark chocolate, Morello cherries > and rosehip tea over a core of crème de cassis, plum preserves, licorice and woodsmoke with a waft of fragrant soil. Full-bodied, rich and fantastically opulent, the palate offers layer upon layer of ripe, finely grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and mineral laced. A real head-turner, this beauty is absolutely going to steal your heart! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown
FWIW Jancis Robbins gave it 16 points last October and an underwhelmed description. It would not enduce me to pursue the wine in any way, if I were in the market ( and I have bought Pontet Canet off and on since 1970, but I’ve pretty well stopped buying long haul wines due to anno domini) . Not sure of the protocol of quoting it here. I’ll check.
[She describes 16 as ‘distinguished’ but since it falls between average and superior I tend to think of it as ‘good but not great’ . Her words in this instance give no hint of distinction. Not sure if it was tasted blind].
Bottles are due to arrive in the next few months. I bought half bottles, so will taste as soon as it gets here. No substitute for making up your own mind.
Whatever you think about typicity, or otherwise, this at least sounds like a vibrant fresh wine with something, indeed a lot, to say; unlike Jancis’ bottle.
Give the differing critiques, I’m wondering if there is bottle variation as much as palate variation.