Pontet Canet 2018 has been released at €84 per bottle ex-negociant, up 5% on the 2017’s opening price of €80 and down 22.2% on the 2016 (€108). Today’s ex-negociant release price is also 13.5% cheaper than the average expected (not wanted) price by Liv-ex members of €97.16 per bottle.
The wine is being offered by the international trade at £1,038 per 12×75, an increase of 2.8% in sterling terms on the 2017 release of £1,010 per case.
Critical reception of the 2018 Pontet Canet has been largely positive. Antonio Galloni (Vinous) awarded it 96-99 points and called it “a freak of nature”, not merely for the “tiny yields of just ten hectoliters per hectare, or one third of a normal crop”. Galloni described the wine as “stunningly beautiful” and said he has “never tasted anything like it”.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Advocate) scored it an even higher barrel range of 97-99 points and noted that it was “wonderfully dense, rich, impossibly layered and very, very decadent”. She concluded that “this is one for true hedonists”.
Meanwhile, James Suckling gave it 97-98 points and said he loved “the fruit and purity”.
Pontet Canet 2018 was also among Jeff Leve’s 97-99-scoring wines (The Wine Cellar Insider), who commented that “not much of this gem is going to be available due to climatic conditions […] making it much harder to find than usual”.
Prices for Pontet Canet are closely correlated to critic scores. Today’s release represents ‘Fair Value’, according to our methodology, falling just below the trend line when Galloni, Suckling and Perrotti-Brown’s scores are considered.
Due to the minute production, allocations are going to be tight. Those looking for Pontet Canet of comparable quality might want to consider the 2005, available on the market at a similar price.
Looking for more?
Our Bordeaux 2018 pages contain everything you need to know about this year’s En Primeur campaign, including:
- Critic scores
- Release prices
- Bordeaux 2018 analysis tool [members only]
- The conversation on social media
- Liv-ex’s fair value methodology
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