Château Pontet-Canet 2022

A hot, drought-stressed year on the Left Bank: a warm, very dry summer with scorching July and August heat. Pontet-Canet's clay subsoils buffered the vines against severe water stress, and picking was among the earliest and longest in the estate's history (early September into late September).

Despite the heat, 2022 delivered wines of remarkable balance — deep, concentrated, and powerful yet retaining freshness, energy, and fine tannin rather than turning jammy. Widely regarded as one of the estate's greatest recent vintages, ranked by many alongside its celebrated 2009 and 2010.

Deep Günz gravel over clay and limestone; the clay subsoils held water through the 2022 drought.

~9,500 vines/ha, average vine age ~45 years, 92 blocks farmed and picked parcel-by-parcel; biodynamic.

Estate fruit from Pontet-Canet's single ~81-ha block, split between more Cabernet Sauvignon on the gravel nearer the château (by Mouton Rothschild) and more Merlot on plots closer to the river.

Hand-sorted, hand-destemmed fruit fermented parcel-by-parcel in wood and concrete vats without electricity or pump-overs; malolactic in vat.

About 50% new French oak, 35% amphora (900-litre estate-clay jars), and roughly 15% used oak, with a final five months finishing in cement vats.

The first Pontet-Canet vintage bottled in the estate's new lighter-weight bottle; a comparatively short élevage.

vintage-specific blend · abv not published