What is a primeur report without one of Pauillac’s most dynamic estate? I made the trip through the rain to taste their 2012. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot, the latter was cropped from 4th October and the Cabernet Sauvignon from 11th October, finishing six days later. The 50% of the crop once aged in new oak and one-year old barrels are now matured in concrete vats whilst 35% of the crop is aged in clay amphora quarried from their own vineyard. There is certainly great purity and terroir expression on the nose: blackberry, briary and background scents of fresh raspberry and cold stone. The definition is very impressive. The palate is interesting – quite different from the previous vintages. I love the tannins here – very fine but lending the Pontet-Canet great backbone It is utterly harmonious but I feel more understated, perhaps more controlled than recent vintages. The finish is much more introspective – a Pauillac politely informing you to go away and wait before bottling before making any judgement! This is a divine Pontet Canet - very succinct. Tasted April 2013. – eRobertParker.com, May 2013

This shows incredible decadence and opulence for the vintage with dried meat, black berry, blueberries and hints of mushroom. Full body, very polished silky tannins and a chewy finish. Lots of richness for the vintage. Persistent palate. This was aged 35% in cement eggs for 12 months. Better in 2018. – James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, Feb 2015)

This impeccably run, biodynamically farmed estate of Alfred Tesseron goes from strength to strength. The 2012 triumphs once again with its notes of dark plum, blackcurrant, licorice and almost a hint of truffle, its full-bodied, supple tannins, and beautiful, expensive mouthfeel. Complex and deep, this dense ruby/purple-colored wine may not be at the level of the 2009 or 2010, but it is a successful wine in this vintage, and a significant wine in 2012. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035. 93 points – Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #218, April 2015)

(65% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Merlot/4% Cabernet Franc/1% Petit Verdot)
Sultry, smoky nose. Ripe, generous palate broad with plummy fruit and a well hidden structure. Showy, glossy and indulgent, it’s a real crowd pleaser. Maybe not the most ‘intellectual’ wine of the vintage, but very attractive nonetheless.

[65CS/30M/4CF/1PV] Sweetly ripe fruited to smell; rich and fleshy, gently fresh and very finely, if firmly, tannic - a most seductive balance; juicily ripe and generous to taste, with considerable volume for the year, nice length across the palate, and with a fine warm, long and aromatic aftertaste. Not perhaps the really close knit complexity of a great year, but this will be a really delicious mouthful in 6-8 years. Lovely! [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2013]

Quality 833 | Brand 983 | Economics 719 | buzz brand
Quality: Above the average quality score of its peer group for the 2012 vintage, 703 Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 27 of the world's top wine lists, including Amber - Mandarin Oriental Economics: Below its peer group average price of £60 for the 2012 vintage Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 151,058 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017