JCP Maltus, Château Pontet Labrie, 2016 - Magnum
JCP Maltus, Château Pontet Labrie, 2016 - Magnum
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Pontet Labrie is a single vineyard Grand Cru Saint-Émilion, owned by one of the original Bordeaux ‘garagistes’, 100-point winemaker Jonathan Maltus OBE. Jonathan has evolved his winemaking philosophy pioneering a Burgundian approach, unusual in Bordeaux, focussing on small production, single site cuvées (rather than blending his various blocks, like everyone else). In 2014 he approached us as he owned a single 1ha of vines on a prime site of the prestigious plateau of Saint-Émilion, with vines pre-dating the frost of 1957, which he believed had the potential to be the Merlot-based equivalent to his famous Le Dôme.
The six vintages produced have attracted excellent 94/96+ point reviews and, given the exceptionally limited production, are immediately collector’s items, even featuring in the Robb Report’s “Hard To Get” feature on the world’s most elusive bottles. Pontet Labrie has been produced across the greatest six vintage run in Bordeaux’ history – 2015-2020, every year a winner and showing the individual character one would expect from a single vineyard wine. In August 2022 Prince Robert of Luxembourg’s Domaine Clarence Dillon (owner of First Growth Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion) bought the other 14ha of the vineyard from the owner, convinced of the quality of the terroir. This only helps to enhance the allure of Pontet Labrie.
The vineyard produces a maximum 300 cases of this exceptional Merlot/Cabernet Franc and allocations are available exclusively through Honest Grapes.
Read about a Club Pontet Labrie membership.
What the critics say:
"The 2016 Château Pontet Labrie is also 80/20 Merlot and Cabernet Franc, aged in 80% new oak. It has more limestone character in its blackberry, black raspberry, graphite, and crushed rock-driven aromatics. Some lavender notes, full-bodied richness, building structure, and a great finish all make for a killer wine. As I wrote regarding the 2015, here’s another hats off to Jonathan Maltus for another thrilling Saint-Emilion that’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and thrill for 15-20 years."
"Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Pontet Labrie sashays out of the glass with seductive preserved plums, Black Forest cake, boysenberry and black raspberry scents with underlying suggestions of violets, mocha, mincemeat pie and baking spices. Full-bodied, concentrated and built like a brick house, it has a firm, grainy tannic frame supporting the generous flesh, finishing long and spicy."
