2018 - Pontet-Canet, Pauillac

When I tasted the 2018 Pontet-Canet in barrel I described it as a "freak of nature." The 2018 is more than that, it is a freak of nature. Made from yields of just ten hectoliters per hectare, the 2018 possesses off the charts richness, phenomenal balance and head-spinning intensity. Crushed red berries, flowers, mint, cedar and rose petal saturate the palate in a Pauillac of breath-taking richness. The silkiest of tannins frame the phenomenally pure, long finish. This is a towering achievement from the Tesseron family and former Technical Director Jean-Michel Comme, who together spearheaded biodynamic farming in Bordeaux and built the present-day estate around a philosophy of non-interventionalist winemaking. In 2018, grapes were crushed solely by hand. Because of the tiny yields, the entire production was vinified in Pontet-Canet's new smaller concrete vats. All winemaking was done manually, without the aid of external temperature control or electricity. Put in another way, if Lalou Bize-Leroy made Bordeaux, it would taste like this.

The 2018 Pontet-Canet has a deep garnet-purple color. It offers up open-knit, pronounced notes of prunes, raisin cake, and Chinese five spice, with hints of potpourri, dusty soil, and cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is velvety and generous, with flamboyant, floral-laced black fruits and an energetic finish.

Knitted down tannins, powerful concentration to the blackberry, black cherry and cassis fruits. A gourmet feel overall, rippled with cocoa bean and cigar box, this is an excellent wine and for me has improved since En Primeur. Still needs plenty of extra time in bottle, but already has definition and finesse, and evident potential. A difficult vintage at Pontet Canet, with tiny yields after losing 2/3 of the crop to mildew, making the success in the glass even more striking. Additions in the celllar also at this point, with 400l small cement vats made from their own soil. No pump overs, no lees stirring, the entire harvest sorted and destemmed by hand, no electricity beyond lights in the cellar, as little intervention as possible throughout the whole process.