Château Pontet-Canet 2025

Chateau Pontet-Canet is one of the largest estates in the Medoc, in the AOC Pauillac, run by the Tesseron family since 1975 and farmed to organic and biodynamic standards. The blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the classic Pauillac quartet. The estate's deep gravel mounds over clay and limestone drain freely and store daytime warmth, ripening Cabernet fully, while the Gironde estuary moderates temperature and extends the growing season. Biodynamic farming, including horse-drawn ploughing on parts of the estate, is aimed at soil health and vine balance. The wine ages fourteen months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange knits the tannin and adds cedar, cocoa and fine toast, while the new wood supports rather than dominates the fruit. It is deep, dense ruby. The nose is blackcurrant and dark cherry with cedar, tobacco, graphite and a savoury earthiness. The palate is full and firmly structured, the tannin abundant but fine, built for long cellaring, with a long, mineral finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted well ahead. It suits roast red meat and game.