The 2021 Pontet Canet, which contains a little more Petit Verdot than usual, was bottled in July. It has a very attractive bouquet with pure black fruit, cedar and light iris flower scents. It is not powerful, yet there is elegance here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and a crisp line of acidity. Just a hint of mocha lurks in the background, but there is a satisfying, almost citric freshness toward the finish. Suggestions of graphite linger on the aftertaste. I have not spared Pontet Canet from criticism in recent vintages, but that said, I really warmed to this 2021, and it should age with style. 93 points

Offering up wild, exotic aromas of blackberries, cloves and Indian spices mingled with notions of rose petal, bruised orchard fruit and cherry pit that evolve rapidly in the glass, the 2021 Pontet-Canet is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a layered mid-palate and refined tannins that assert themselves on the firm, saline finish. Always one of the Médoc`s most singular, idiosyncratic wines, it will be interesting to see how it performs in bottle. 91-93 points

The 2021 is the most classically Pauillac Pontet-Canet I have tasted in modern times. Medium in body, with striking aromatic presence, the 2021 screams with character. Grilled herbs, incense, leather, lavender and plum open with a bit of coaxing, all framed by beams of tannin and bright, salivating acids that give the wine shape and real sense of direction. There`s a bit more Petit Verdot in this year`s blend, and that comes through in the wine`s intensely savory profile. Aging is 50% in new wood, 35% in amphora and 15% in one year-old barrels. The 2021 was impressive all three times I tasted it. 93-95 points

Bright berry red in colour, nuanced blackberry and loganberry with bitter black chocolate notes from the first attack. Lovely precision, good level of spice, earthy, unfussy, rose stem and blackcurrant bud. Plenty of tannins give structure and are shot through with sinew and juice, this is an impressive wine from technical director Mathieu Bessonet. 95 points