Les Hauts de Pontet 2012(second wine Chateau Pontet Canet)
Deep ruby; tight, pink rim. The nose is gives red and black currants with tones of cedar enhanced by refreshing minerality. Supple palate; medium finish; tannins of great precision, reflecting the ripe, early drinking, lightish and elegant character of the 2012 vintage.
Les Hauts de Pontet 2012 has been downgraded to VDT, based probably on its lack of ‘typicite’ as defined by Qualisud. Is that an idea, or really the definition on Pauillac stylistics for the future? We don’t know; but one thing for sure is: it is drinking well now, and there are AOC Pauillacs far less than in quality, with taste that is overripe, tired fruit, too marked by tastes of wood close to the coconut.
Scores for Les Hauts de Pontet 2012 are reasonably good though. The Weighted Average from Wine Searcher is 88.
This wine spent 12 months in 100% used, French oak. Composition is 4 royal grapes, so there is adequate complexity, with adequate fruit length. The vines are manuel harvested. Harvesting and fermentation decisions are by winemakers and not by computers. It is 100% biodynamic. Vines are old by second wine standard; density is really high like 7000 vines /ha.
