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Chateau Pontet-Canet

I doubt there is any poster-child more appropriate for the wind of change that has swept through Bordeaux in recent years, towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, than Pontet-Canet. A lowly cinquième cru despite its proximity to the most exalted estates of Pauillac, including both Lafite and Mouton, this once-derided estate was reduced during the mid-20th century to nothing more than a brand name for a lowly non-vintage table wine for serving in the dining cars of the French railways. If the first growths were the aristocrats, enjoying cocktails and canapés, Pontet-Canet was the poor relative, a distant cousin perhaps, unshaven and unkempt, who didn't have a job and couldn't spare the change for a drink. I think it is fair to say that Pontet-Canet has known such destitution.

But those times have passed. The wind of change has blown strong at Pontet-Canet. And the bringer of this wind was Guy Tesseron, followed by his son Alfred, who today has brought on board his own daughter, Melanie. But before we look at the Pontet-Canet of today, we should perhaps look back to its very beginnings.

An Early History

The origins of Chateau Pontet-Canet lie in the early 18th century, when it came together under the ownership of Jean-François Pontet, a powerful local politician and deputy to the Intendant of Guyenne. He and his descendants expanded their domaine, bringing in plots of adjacent land, creating a huge estate which, over the centuries that followed, has proved resistant, unlike so many neighbours, to dissolution. Early records show this new property was referred to Canet, or Canet de Pontet, Maison de Canet being the name given to much of the land absorbed into the estate in 1750.

Although Jean-François was the creator, it was Pierre-Bernard de Pontet that subsequently nurtured the estate through its most formative years, consolidating the estate's Pauillac vineyards, and relinquishing those owned by the family in St Julien. Under his direction the reputation of the wines produced here grew but, following his death in 1836, there was once again a deterioration in quality. As a consequence, when the properties of the Médoc were classified in 1855 by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, for the Exposition Universelle de Paris, this Pauillac chateau was found languishing on the fifth tier. Pontet-Canet had already experienced its first slump, but this was nothing compared to the events that lay ahead in the 20th century.

From Pontet to Cruse

In 1865 the chateau came into the ownership of one of the great winemaking dynasties of Bordeaux, the Cruse family. Herman Cruse moved quickly to improve the situation at Pontet-Canet, employing Charles Skawinski (whose father Pierre worked at Giscours), despite Charles' tender age of just 23 years. There was massive investment, there being a new chai constructed to Skawinski's design, and the cellar - notable for being underground, an uncommon feature in the Médoc - was re-equipped. With time the reputation of Pontet-Canet grew to what it had been before, and it remained this way until both Herman and then his widow died, at which point control of Pontet-Canet then passed to other members of the Cruse family. This was perhaps a turning point for Pontet-Canet, as quality once more spiralled downwards. This was compounded somewhat by Cruse's decision to eschew chateau-bottling, which was by this point standard practice throughout most of Bordeaux; it only began at Pontet-Canet in 1972, when it was made illegal to do anything else. By this point, however, Chateau Pontet-Canet had become a byword for underachievement, despite its enviable location as evinced in my introduction. Under the Cruse family, the name of Chateau Pontet-Canet - which has one of the largest outputs of any Médoc chateau - was dumbed down to an incredible degree. As I alluded earlier, much of it was marketed as an unassuming non-vintage wine served by the half bottle in French railway carriages, the name little more than a brand rather than the moniker of a prestigious cru classé estate. If we are to pick one low-point below all others for this estate, then surely this is it?

In 1973, however, the house of Cruse came tumbling down, as the once highly respected négociant became embroiled in an infamous Bordeaux scandal in which the firm was found guilty of fraud. In fact it appears that the fraud itself was committed by Balan, a small-time négociant under the direction of Pierre Bert. Bert had purchased some red table wines and white AC Bordeaux, but with a little creative record-keeping he soon found he owned red AC Bordeaux and some white table wines. The red wine, having taken on the AC Bordeaux appellation and thus an increased value, was sold on to a number of large négociant houses, including Cruse. The Cruse family certainly were not central to the fraudulent activities. Nevertheless, when Lionel Cruse refused entry to inspectors from the Ministry of Finance on June 28th, 1973, the situation could only deteriorate. In 1974 the case went to trial. Herman Cruse, disgraced, had already committed suicide. Pierre Bert was jailed for a year. Although the Cruse family appealed and all charges were subsequently dropped in 1975, the stain on their reputation would take many years to fade.

From Cruse to Tesseron

As a result of these events the Cruse family were forced to sell Chateau Pontet-Canet, and it was purchased from them by Cognac magnate Guy Tesseron, who was married to one of their number, in 1975. This wasn't an entirely new venture for Tesseron, who had already purchased Chateau Lafon-Rochet in 1959. Tesseron's plan was to branch out, to encourage his offspring to look beyond the confines of Cognac; perhaps tellingly, within a few years of the acquisition the Cognac market evaporated like a wisp of the famous spirit itself. It had been an astute diversification of interests.

For many years Guy and his family lacked the money they needed to pull Pontet-Canet from the mire, but under his direction, together with that of his son Alfred, the situation at Pontet-Canet slowly began to change. Turning a property fully around, from little more than a brand back to a name which lives up to its status as a classed growth estate can take time, however, and despite Tesseron's best efforts the wines were still showing an undesirable austerity, with rather prominent and harsh tannins. It was not until the 1990s (with consultation from Michel Rolland in the latter part of the decade), that the wines really began to shine, gaining international recognition as they did so, with the 1994 vintage generally regarded as the point at which the wine begins to show a tangible improvement.

So Pontet-Canet has changed. Not a revolution as such, but certainly a very rapid evolution. There is a saying in show business, that it takes 10 year's hard work to become an overnight success, and this adage seems to describe the sequence of events at Pontet-Canet very nicely (provided we accept it is more like 15-20 years than 10). Until recently almost universally derided, today it enjoys new-found status as a super-second estate, now an anomalous term of course, as Pontet-Canet is of course challenging from the fifth tier of the 1855 classification, not the second. Over the last 20 years we have seen the Tesseron family, led for much of this time by Alfred Tesseron and aided by manager Jean-Michel Comme, drive forward a program of innovation and improvement that has seen quality soar at Pontet-Canet. It is certainly worth examining just how these two men have dragged this estate to the forefront of all Bordeaux.

Guy, Alfred and Green-Harvesting

Aware of the change that was sweeping through Bordeaux during the 1980s and 1990s, witnessed first hand in the vineyards and cellars of his neighbours, Alfred was eager to keep pace. In 1989 he appointed Comme as manager, and together the pair devised a programme of work to rescue Pontet-Canet. The work included, controversially, green-harvesting, a practice which Alfred and Jean-Michel introduced - without Guy's knowledge - in 1990. They subjected only a portion of the vineyard to the treatment, but in subsequent vintages they expanded the scope of the work, until in 1994 the entire estate was green-harvested. Although initially unaware of the goings-on, Alfred could now not fail to notice the vineyard workers throwing perfectly good but as yet unripe fruit onto the ground, a concept which was anathema to someone of Guy's generation.

A rift between Alfred and his father Guy ensued, as Alfred realised when he returned to the estate one evening to find his father sullenly reticent. Eventually he disclosed his deep misgivings regarding Alfred's latest innovation. It was a difficult moment for Alfred, one where he laid his reputation and role at Pontet-Canet on the line. He acknowledged his father's concern, but then the two made a pact; Alfred's position would be determined by the quality of the wine. If it turned out to be good, Alfred would be free to continue running the vineyard as he saw fit whilst his father would limit himself to the business finances, but if not then Alfred would leave. Of course the wine was better for this intervention. It was in fact widely acclaimed as one of the wines of this rather difficult vintage, and Alfred was free to press on with his program of interventions. As I have noted above, this was the year that has subsequently been acknowledged as the point at which quality started to move upwards at Pontet-Canet.

Beyond Green Harvesting

The vineyards of Pontet-Canet are not difficult to spot; examine any map of the Médoc and you will find, lying just northwest of the town of Pauillac itself, a large conglomeration of Rothschild vineyards which include Duhart-Milon, Clerc-Milon and d'Armailhac - not to mention the premier cru classé estates of Lafite-Rothschild and Mouton-Rothschild. These are illustrious neighbours for the Tesserons, who own the great swathe of vineyards directly to the south, in a prime position on the plateau of Pauillac, on typical soils of Quaternary gravel over clay and limestone. The estate has 120 hectares, of which two-thirds is planted to vines averaging 35 years of age at 9000 vines per hectare, with a mix of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. And these 80 hectares of vines have seen more than their share of innovation in the past two decades, going far beyond the drama of a few bunches of verdant green grapes squashed underfoot. Together Alfred Tesseron and Jean-Michel Comme have taken Pontet-Canet from good-value over-performer to high quality challenger to the super-second tier, and much of the work that has taken them there has been in the vineyard.

Perhaps most remarkable has been the estate's conversion to biodynamics, the only classed growth estate to make this leap, although it surely cannot be too long before others follow suit. The process began in 2004, led by Comme, on just 14 hectares of the vineyard, and in 2005 they expanded the practises so far employed to the whole vineyard, an incredible shift in philosophy and commitment, even for an estate that was already running along organic lines. The team cracked in 2007, Tesseron and Comme resorting to chemicals to treat the wave upon wave of oidium and mildew which plagued that very wet vintage, a decision which Tesseron now says he regrets. Should such a vintage return, he says, Pontet-Canet would remain biodynamic. In the meantime, Pontet-Canet will be recertified, a process that completes after three consecutive years of appropriate viticulture.

Horses for Courses

Remarkably, in the vineyard Tesseron and Comme are now moving away from green harvesting once more, a shift which I also heard of in Burgundy when I visited in 2009. Green harvesting is, after all, merely a method for controlling yields, ensuring that the quantity of fruit on the vine matches the desired quality and concentration in the final wine. It offers a safety buffer, in that if a spring frost should dramatically inhibit flowering and fruit set, then the green harvesting can be omitted. Its downside of course is that by the time the green bunches are picked the vine has already expended much energy producing this unwanted fruit. A more stylish method is to reduce the number of buds, and control the number of bunches from the outset. It works just as well as green harvesting, but you run the risk of yields that are too low if the spring weather isn't favourable. Nevertheless, this is an increasingly popular practice. Alongside, Tesseron and Comme have also recently put an end to leaf-thinning.

Perhaps the most visually striking sign of their commitment to their vines, however, is the use of horses in the vineyards. These were a common sight at Pontet-Canet until the 1959 vintage (as no doubt they were in many vineyards), and about 50 years later they have returned. Tesseron happily expounds their advantages; put simply, they compact the soils less, and they do not damage the vines in the same manner as a carelessly driven tractor. Having acquired three, 8 hectares of vines were worked solely using horsepower during 2008, and the aim was to expand their remit to cover 16 hectares in 2009.

Cement in the Cellar

It is not only in the vineyard that Pontet-Canet has seen dramatic change, but in the cellar too. Once harvested into small-volume crates to reduce damage prior to fermentation, the fruit is today delivered into the upper level of the chai, above the vats, where it is sorted over two tables removing both non-grape material and the stems as well as any under-ripe fruit of course. Thereafter the fruit can be crushed delivered into the vats using gravity rather than pumping, without any pre-maceration. These vats may be the original wooden vessels, installed in the 19th century, although there is also the choice of concrete, these more modern arrivals dating to 2005.

Every day Jean-Michel Comme reviews each vat, looking at fermentation temperatures in both wood and concrete, both vessels offering good thermal stability, and sampling the wines as well. There is to some extent a technical analysis of progress within the different vats, looking at pH and alcohol concentration, but most judgements are made on taste alone. Taste, and not biodynamics, which remains firmly in the vineyard. Here there is sulphur use as deemed necessary, and decisions are not based on the biodynamic calendar. Once fermentation is complete there is the matter of élevage of course, and this comprises up to 20 months in oak, of which 60% is replaced each vintage, an admirably restrained use of wood considering all else that is happening here. Before bottling, the wine is fined with egg white. The grand vin is Chateau Pontet-Canet, of which there are about 20000 cases produced per annum. Since the 1982 vintage there has also been a second wine, Les Hauts de Pontet, of which there are also about 20000 cases produced.

Pontet Opinion

During the 1990s there was, in my opinion, a change in quality without overt change in style. Looking back to other vintages I have tasted as well as those encountered here, the 1996 tastes very much like a classic left-bank 1996 for instance, they have balance and style with moderate substance and texture. Although not included in this line-up, I have tasted the 1996 and 1998 twice, as well as the 1999 - the year Michel Rolland's services as consultant were engaged - although never the 1997. From 2000 onwards, however, not only has quality continued to rise but the style has evolved in tandem, no doubt heavily influenced by the Tesseron-Comme innovations at Pontet-Canet . The wines are deeper, more concentrated and more substantial. In their youth ( I have tasted a number of vintages en primeur and within the first year or two after the vintage) they seem more burly and they are loaded with tannin, colour and extract. They still possess a sense of balance, in that all the components are there, it is just that they are in a very different place to the wines of the mid-1990s. They have a richer, more textured feel too, bolstered by the style of fruit which is less classic than it once was, now with a more creamed-confit-forest-fruit character. These more modern wines have garnered a lot of praise, and the overall feel is more akin to the ultra-confident super-seconds like those mentioned in my introduction than to the Pontet-Canet of old. I'm not saying I don't like these wines; they are impressive and well made, indeed they are compelling vins de gardes, wines that will need a long, long time in the cellar, especially the immensely powerful and structured 2000 and 2005 vintages. Other proprietors and managers are no doubt looking on in envy, and perhaps wondering whether they should be turning first to Rudolf Steiner's bible, or to the classifieds section of the Racing Post, in order to emulate Pontet-Canet's success. (24/9/03, updated 10/8/06, 3/6/10)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau Pontet-Canet, 33250 Pauillac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 59 04 04
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 59 26 63
Internet: www.pontet-canet.com

Chateau Pontet-Canet - Tasting Notes

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Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2009: Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 30%, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 60% new oak. Vibrant hue, bright, red-purple hue. Very dark concentrated fruit on the nose, dense forest fruit character. Plum and cherry, especially the latter. Lovely texture in entry, very creamy but also tightly defined, rather than soft or overly broad. Underneath this, a rich layer of tannin, all very composed, although rich and substantial. The fruit has a dense, black cherry edge with a crunchy spark to it. The tannins are rich and mouth coating, like heavy velvet curtains, but are in keeping with the rest of the wine. It has a union of massive structure, cleanly defined fruit and also freshness and acidity - quite a remarkable feat. Peppery acidity with it. Lovely fresh fruit. This is very impressive wine. Long and rich too. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 18-19+/20 (March 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2008: Lovely fruit on the nose here, blackcurrant cream with vanilla ice cream, very bright and fresh and appealing. The palate is as supple as I recall from the primeurs, with very stylish composition. And the same delightful crystalline black fruit character that marked this vintage when I first tasted it in 2009. Lovely, compact, linear, balanced and composed, giving it a very harmonious composition that puts it far closer to the 2005 vintage in structure, but obviously not substance or depth (or hype) than many people suspect,. Still, this is just a barrel sample, so we should remain circumspect, and I will assess this wine again when it is in bottle, later this year. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17.5-18.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2008: Decanted before pouring, which is the norm for Pontet-Canet at these tastings. Dark and clearly concentrated, with a delightful perfume, harmonious and floral in character. The palate, however, is dense and withdrawn, tannic and firm. The structure is compact and tight, with a dominating wealth of ripe tannin. This has huge structure, but it is ripe, and it has the acidity to cope, and the fruit too I think. What a big finish. Massive potential here, but I hope the fruit outlives the tannins. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17.5-18.5+/20 (April 2009)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2007: Unusual nose, certainly there are some green elements, notes of grilled celery and green pepper alongside the red fruits. There is also a rather perfumed edge to the fruit, a little chalky redcurrant and violet character. Light style but there is a supple edge to it on entry, and it stays supple in character throughout. A touch juicy, not very substantial, but there is some substance there. Light red fruits, tannins around the periphery, which have sharp edges but do seem broadly ripe. Certainly there is something here, and it has potential, but it does have some angular and other negative edges too. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 16+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2007: Heavy oak apparent on the nose here, with dark fruit, and slightly exotic black cherry. A gentle substance on the palate, polished, some nice fruit, with a texture that is a little more fleshy than so many of the other lean efforts poured alongside this wine. Lots of oak though, and a heavily spiced grip. I think this is a bit much for the vintage, but it is nevertheless one of the better wines. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 16+/20 (October 2009)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2007: This sample has a rather inexpressive nose today, showing some fresh redcurrant fruit. It has a nicely composed palate, rather gentle and integrated, with a good ripe structure, nicely covered by some texture to the fruit. It has an elegant style, with ripe tannins showing at the finish, and overall has a good substance and poise for the vintage. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (April 2008)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2006: Rather tight on the nose, rather grainy fruit character, certainly dark, certainly expressing what it has to some extent at least. There is an attractive purity to it, dark fruit character with a smoky edge. Middleweight on entry, the tannins ripe but coming through, although covered by the fruit and texture which has a good style if not as incredibly harmonious as the 2005. Lots of substance to it, ripely tannic. Supple elements to it, good collection of components here, but they need time to integrate. Good ripe tannic finish. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2006: There is a huge wealth of ripe fruit here, with a dense, savoury, macerated style. It has a sweet pastille-like intensity, but a savoury rather than sweet style, complicated by notes of tar and violets. A very serious palate follows, packed with dry and perhaps rather woody tannins, but there is plenty of fruit to match. It has austere structure, but I think it has sufficient substance too. A powerful wine which will need a lot of cellar time. From a tasting of 2006 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17.5-18+/20 (October 2008)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2005: The nose here shows a lot of primary elements here, and is still marked by winemaking at present. The nose is dominated by the aromas of sweet oak, marshmallow and caramel, so it is clearly not a wine that I would recommend open for tasting or drinking now, even those who like to 'take one for the team'. The fruit elements which are currently sitting behind the oak are very dark, with elements of liquorice, but also with brighter although very ripe red fruits, dark cherry and raspberry. Beautiful palate though, glossy but not over the top, lightly creamy and stylish, wonderful style. Complete, harmonious, vivacious but elegant, balanced but structured, the tannins perfectly intertwined with the rest of the wine, the finish composed and complete and long. This is a very remarkable wine, rich and yet poised and light-footed. It needs to be left a very long time - a decade at least, maybe 15 years - but it will be amazing. A wine full of emotion. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 19+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2005: A rather glossy style of fruit here, dark and intensely stylish, shining with black fruit character, dark with elements suggestive of roasted herbs, but the fruit itself is not in any way cooked or hot. Rather there is a very fresh complexity, of liquorice and macerated black fruits. Beautifully defined here on entry, pure and linear, fresh but very rich, and with a very significant presence of tannins. These have a very firm character, masculine and grippy, bright, nevertheless they sit very well with the rest of the wine. A hugely impressive effort that puts much of the rest of the appellation to shame. This wine could really go places, given the right cellar. From a 2005 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 19+/20 (November 2009)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2005: Exotic, interesting, spicy nose, full of very dense and perfumed fruit, notes of roast herbs and a layer of cashew nut oak. The palate is very full, a touch creamy, with a lovely composition. Rich fruit, good substance and weight, ripe well covered tannins and a delicious, balanced style. This has great potential. Another success for Pontet-Canet, and a much higher score than my en primeur tasting. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18.5+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2005: CS 70%, M 25%, CF 4%, PV 1%. This has a lovely, dense colour. The nose is perfumed with aromatic floral and mineral character. A middleweight on the palate, showing good structure; there are ripe tannins in abundance, and a full character. This very well made wine does seem a little straightforward and foursquare at present, but it has fine structure and great potential for the cellar. The aromatic complexity on the nose is encouraging. Very good indeed. From my 2005 Bordeaux en primeur tasting. 16.5-17.5/20 (April 2006)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2004: Not very expressive on the nose, but work with it and we get dense rather compact fruit, fresh and minerally, but rather tight and linear. The palate has a lot of good substance, lovely texture, and there is a good cut of acidity running through it as well. There are ripe tannins, grainy, and the palate is substantial, with well integrated tannins, but there is little in the way of expression. It is closed down right now, so difficult to judge, but there is a lot to admire here, and a lot of potential I think. Grainy tannins in the finish. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2004: Rather closed on the nose; I get some sense of a deeply fruited wine as I work it in the glass, but each time it quickly recedes into its shell. Firmly structured, with an exuberant wealth of ripe velvety tannin. Almost purely creamy, yet fresh and balanced with a very correct acidity. Lovely composure. Although there is little flavour in this wines closed down state, this still has great impact. Pontet-Canet continues to turn out wines to match almost any in this commune. From my 2004 Bordeaux assessment. 17.5+/20 (October 2006)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2004: A dark, glossy wine, with a bright purple rim. Lovely character on the nose, vibrant, dark, sweet and concentrated black fruits. Very full and pleasing palate, showing great style, with well delineated and attractive fruit. Moderate acidity, and rather firm, slightly austere tannins showing on the endpalate and length finish. There is sufficient fruit in this rather expressive wine to cope with these tannins in the long run, I think. Has potential. 16.5+/20 (April 2006)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2003: Heatwave vintage. Rather glossy hue. Not a roasted style on the nose, dense and creamy confit style. Violets. Very well-styled fruit, rich but not overly sweet, fat or roasted, clean and ripe but remarkably atypical and pure for the vintage. Certainly a rich and creamy style on the palate though, dense and concentrated, and there is a firm pervasive style of deep, chewy, ripe but coating tannins, this aspect being very typical of the vintage. Tesseron says you can't spot this as a 2003 in a blind tasting, as it has good freshness; he is right on this point, but the structure of the wine is very typical. There is a long finish dominated by tannin. The acidity is rather muted but it is there. A good wine. Totally different from the 2002 but a similar issue, in that the wine is good but could be better - in this case with more acidity. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2003: Dark, super-macerated, super-ripe fruit. A fat, sexy style on entry, with a creamy texture carrying a raft of exotic, spiced and peppered fruit. Beneath it all there's a big, brawny structure, although rather soft acidity, engendering a fat, opulent finish. The tannins coat the mouth here. I think there is sufficient substance to carry these tannins. Very good. From my 2003 Bordeaux assessment. 17/20 (October 2005)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2002: A dense style of fruit in the nose, very defined and upright, black fruit character, has a style rather more reminiscent of a St Julien than Pauillac, a vintage effect perhaps? There is a little broadness and sweetness to it though, dark and grainy, sitting beneath these more superficial characteristics. There is an evocative style to it as well, early maturity, notes of tea leaves. With time really opening up - showing overt maturity, tea leaves and rust - lovely. Moderate weight on entry, balanced midpalate, slightly loose knit through the middle and slightly raw structure too, very tannic style coming out from beneath through the fruit in a slightly sharp fashion. Needs time. Not a lean and mean greenie at all though, lots of tannin in the finish although less than the 2000 I feel. More flesh would be very welcome. Good wine which will make super drinking with dinner in a few years from now. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2001: Very appealing nose here, very polished fruit style, very expressive, suggesting a good presence and texture. Good depth of fruit, good complexity, not exotic aromas but a deep and spicy wealth of forest fruit character with a delightful grainy element. Very appealing palate, youthful and primary but very well composed, harmonious and almost honeyed. Polished, textured, very complete style, beautifully silky tannins, nicely intertwined with the rest of the wine. Fresh acidity. Perfumed, red fruits, violets, lots of potential here. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 2000: Fabulous nose here, big and smoky, roasted confit fruit, dark and gritty-grainy in character. Wonderful style. Roast coffee grounds, dark in style. Fine fleshy sweetness on entry, but not over-the-top, not a sweet, confit note in sight. There is a firm and polished texture to it, a savoury character, with lots of tannic substance although it does not show through past the texture and fruit on the palate, only on the finish when there is a flourish of grippy tannin coating the mouth. There is a firm, grainy character which sits very well with the rest of the wine. Brimming with potential here, but needs another five years at the bare minimum, and I am sure it will be much better at ten. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 18.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1999: A big jump here, five years forward. Surprisingly open and forward nose here, minerally with a little twist of sooty toffee. Clearly already a different style to the 1994 and most certainly the 1990. It has a darker character, dark plum skins, cherry skins too. Rather a restrained and elegant entry onto the palate, maintaining a very light presence through the midpalate, although with a finely defined structure, and just brimming with vivacious acidity and dancing tannins. It has gained a refined character and style, but it has a lightness that reflects the vintage I guess. Soft and supple. Good freshness and style though. Lots of precise tannins in the finish, and just a little chewy. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 16/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1999: This is clearly the most youthful wine judging by its appearance and the nose is not out of keeping with this. It is an exotic, flashy affair, packed with aromas of toffee, coffee, oak, burnt caramel, vanilla and black fruits – many of these aromas no doubt derived from high-toast oak. The palate is ripe, fleshy, and structured, with amazingly well integrated tannins. Overall this wine is a sweet and round balancing act combining structure, elegance and power, and it is surprisingly approachable for its age. It remains a little simple and primary on the palate at the moment but this will change with time. Nevertheless I cannot deny that at present I find it to be simply delicious. 16.5+/20 (September 2003)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1998: Now approaching eight years of age, this wine continues to show a good depth of colour. There are some notes of early maturity on the nose, with some meaty fruit style, but overall it is quite reserved. Classically styled palate, with attractively ripe fruit and moderate acidity, but with well rounded corners. There is still some tannin to shed here, but I sense this is all coming together quite harmoniously. Will make very good drinking with time. 16+/20 (April 2006)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1998: A youthful looking wine. Another exotic nose with fading, oak-derived notes of vanilla and caramel. A touch of green pepper perhaps? Medium bodied with clean, pleasing fruit on the palate. Correct structure, with soft background tannins and good acidity. Firmer tannins on the finish. A little length. 16+/20 (September 2003)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1996: A moderate colour, and an impressive nose. An intense, complex medley of blackcurrants and other black fruits, with exotic spices and black olives. A lovely structure is the dominant feature on the palate, with integrated tannins and balanced acidity providing a framework for some still somewhat primary fruit, with touches of root liquorice. Developing. Clearly a very good, age-worthy vintage. 18.5+/20 (September 2003)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1996: Again a young, rich, red-purple hue. A little more approachable on the nose, with the blackcurrant fruit sitting alongside notes of curry spices. A fat, round yet elegant and stylish palate. Mineral fruit, with good balance and underlying structure. Clean finish. From a Bordeaux 1996 blind horizontal tasting. 18+/20 (July 2001)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1995: Nice colour with maturity at the rim. This has a Cabernet dominated blackcurrant nose. Like the 1993 this too seems a little hollow on entry but things quickly pick up. Overall the palate is impressive – silkily textured, sweet and structured, with fine-grained tannins behind a depth of glossy fruit. Balanced acidity. Just a touch more tannic on the finish. Needs another year, maybe two. 18+/20 (September 2003)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1994: It is remarkable how well this wine, from a sometimes derided vintage, is holding up. A great colour on inspection, slightly dusty-matt, but still dominated by red pigment rather than brown. A lovely nose, not showy or exuberant, but true to the wine, the estate and the appellation. It does take an hour in the decanter to really open up, but when it does it offers notes of perfumed fruit, hints of black olives, graphite, tea leaves, green peppercorn and mint. The palate is dry and savoury, without the sweet flesh of more modern wines, from more recent vintages. This wine has a fine structure, elegant but also with some substance, and a lightly poised texture that will have fans of old-school claret shivering with delight. Fine complexity here, fairly dense in terms of character, with a finish that leaves the mouth in a lively fashion, lightly infused with tannins. Lovely. 17/20 (August 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1994: First year for green harvest over the whole property. A sweeter but cleaner style of fruit here, linear style, clean and well defined fruit character. Suggestion of texture, good perfume, aromatic and very stylish. Supple texture on the palate, a little loose-knit compared to some other vintages, but broad, light, still quite substantial in terms of tannic backbone as well. There is texture but it is certainly a leaner vintage, but it is not really lacking in this department to a significant degree. Needs time. I've probably over-estimated my opinion of this wine in the past, and viewing it in the light of other vintages (but also in a more clinical setting, rather than a relaxed atmosphere over dinner) gives a lower score I think. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1994: Decanted, but a surprisingly small amount of sediment here. The nose is warm, open and very nicely scented, and is certainly less reticent than my last bottle which was over a year ago now. It has some beautiful aromas, with violets the most prominent feature, followed by a gentle, iron and mineral note in the background. Fresh, moderately expansive, with a nicely rounded but well delineated texture on the palate, still a little grippy towards the finish, with just a little, slightly bitter, tannic note which suggests this wine has more to offer for the future. Quite vigorous, a finely balanced composition, and very much alive. Fine potential, but approachable now. From a 1994 Bordeaux tasting. 18+/20 (April 2007)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1994: The second of my case - I have no idea what happened to the tasting note for the first. Dark hue, quite deep and intense, running out almost to the rim. Takes hours to open up, finally offering up some fine, cedary blackcurrant fruit, with a smoky, mineral core. Full, mouth-filling, with a beautiful structure evident. Firm tannins which dry out the finish, with correct acidity, and initial austerity although this fades to leave a lovely medley of extract, fruit, body and structure in close to perfect harmony. Good length. Needs another 3-5 years. 18.5+/20 (October 2005)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1993: This wine demonstrates obvious maturity with its mahogany-tinged red, but it is certainly not looking brown or tired. The nose is evolved, perfumed and open, with notes of sweet mature fruit and tobacco. A little disappointing on the palate though, with quite a hollow presence on entry, but it fleshes out through the midpalate to create a sweet, rounded, fleshy mouth-feel which gives more pleasure. The tannins are very shy and overall the wine lacks structure. A slightly flabby finish and no length. It sounds very negative but in fact this is a pleasant wine from a weaker vintage which I have merely nit-picked to pieces. 15.5/20 (September 2003)

Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) 1990: Partial green-harvesting. Richly styled. Certainly appealing Bordeaux maturity on the nose, complexity too, with some intriguing highlights coming in at the side. There is still a good layer of fruit here, sweet and dense, with raspberry and violet floral elements too, Surprisingly for such a warm vintage there are green elements too, green peppercorn. But also fleeting flashes of fried fish (unusual!), more typical tea leaves, but on the whole quite classic, showing the flesh and richness but not the over-ripeness or roasted character of the vintage. Good style on the palate, none of the more unusual elements here. Lots of tannic structure still, still not ready - by a long way. Good substance, quite coolly styled, still rather firm and reserved, structured and slightly reticent left bank style. Lots of grip in the finish. Good length, touch peppery here, but certainly good. From a Pontet-Canet retrospective. 17.5/20 (February 2010)