CRITIC REVIEWS
Jane Anson
Rich tawny plum, full of warmth in colour. We asked for a 2nd bottle of this wine during the tasting, so I should warn you there might be variation, and it was not the most successful in the lineup. This was the year that they stopped having the wine entirely aged in barrel (a mix of new and one year old). Instead they brought in 100 amphoras for 35% of the production, 900l in size and made from the clay of Pontet Canet. It clearly makes a difference to the expression, and there is a beautifully nuanced, finessed feel to the raspberry, black cherry and cassis fruits, studded with saffron and sage and still gently held in place by Pauillac tannins. It makes for an interesting study in a vertical but this is not the vintage that I would most recommend to people trying to understand why Pontet Canet reaches the heights that it does. Harvest October 4 to 11.
Jeb Dunnuck
Fresh and lively aromatically, with spring flowers, sappy herbs, licorice, currant bud and earth, the 2012 is medium to full-bodied, tight, closed and focused, with fine, grippy tannin and a rock-solid finish. It lacks a touch of density and exuberance, but is an elegant, lengthy 2012 that needs 3-4 years of cellaring and will keep through 2032.