The 2018 Pontet-Canet, a Bordeaux Blend from the Pauillac region of Bordeaux, France, exhibits a mastery of biodynamic winemaking. This vintage is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, aged in a combination of 55% oak barriques and 45% amphorae.
James Suckling, giving it a score of 98, describes the wine as having “a complex nose of blueberries, elderberries, dried fruit, spice, and dark chocolate.” He notes its “harmonious, balanced texture” and praises its “balance and finesse.” Similarly, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate echoes this sentiment, awarding it another 98 points, lauding its “atomic perfume of raspberry pie, blackcurrant pastilles, rose oil and Chinese five spice.” The review highlights the wine’s longevity, suggesting it “has the backbone to evolve over three decades or more.”
Jeff Leve’s review is particularly enthusiastic, scoring it a near-perfect 99 and describing the wine as “inky in color,” with “intensely concentrated” flavors. He notes the wine's “opulence” and predicts it could reach “triple-digits when fully mature.” On the other hand, Decanter provides a slightly more reserved score of 96, noting the wine’s “obvious tannic structure” and “menthol finish,” while cautioning about a “slight touch of over-concentration.”
Vinous calls the 2018 vintage a “freak of nature,” highlighting its “phenomenal balance and head-spinning intensity,” and also scores it 98. Wine Enthusiast and The Wine Independent both provide high scores of 98 and 97, respectively, with the former highlighting its “sophisticated structure of smoky tannins” and the latter noting its “flamboyant, floral-laced black fruits.”
Overall, the 2018 Pontet-Canet is a celebrated wine with complex flavors and a structured profile, showcasing the challenges and triumphs of biodynamic winemaking in a difficult vintage.
