Wine Advisor
Pontet Canet 1990
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Description
The year 1990 is characterized above all by a great precocity, which one could observe by the early budding in the vines, in advance by approximately ten days from the normal date. Once the time to harvest had come, the grapes health were ripe and in perfect condition. Their high content in sugar, concentration and the quality of tannins reached particularly high levels. Made from a very early harvest, this wine is rich with a bouquet of spices and tobacco and has a superb velvety mouth-feel. The finish is both flavoursome and balanced and has tremendous length.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s Pontet-Canet dinner at The Ledbury. The 1990 is an old school, pre-Jean-Michel Comme wine. This bottle of 1990 displays a touch of brettanomyces on the nose, but it is not off-putting and actually complements the scents of truffle, moss and cooked meats. Medium-bodied on the palate with good acidity for the vintage, but at 21-years of age beginning to lack a little vigour. This is a pleasurable Pontet-Canet, one that deserves drinking now without too many expectations. Tasted February 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Diffuse, weedy, red and black currant notes along with hints of earth and licorice emerge from this mid-weight Pauillac. The 1990 was conceived before proprietor Alfred Tesseron began to pull out all the stops in his quest for first-growth quality starting in 1994. Over the last 5-6 vintages, he has been hitting on all cylinders. Release price: ($290.00/case)
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1990 is as impressive as the similarly styled 1989. Dense purple in color, with a huge, smoky, cassis-scented nose, this well-constituted wine is very tannic, admirably deep, and in need of 5-8 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 1998-2015.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted lunching at the chateau. A very deep garnet colour with few signs of aging. A plummy, cigar-box nose with the oak not quite as well integrated as I would like. The palate is a certain "coolness" about it i.e. none of those roasted herbal-tinged fruits. Tannic fine concentration, it somehow reminded me of a fine Cote-Rotie. Good acidity - but surprisingly backward. Perhaps non-chateau bottles will be more mature, but I think this has a few years to go before approaching maturity. Tasted October 2003.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Pontet-Canet vertical in London. Not having tasted this for several years, I find that the nose has a good level of freshness, with aromas of blackberry, black plum, tobacco, gravel and sous-bois, but certainly showing none of the heat of the vintage. The palate is full-bodied with firm tannins, a little dry and bretty perhaps, almost foursquare but with a nice balance and focus. Good acidity. Perhaps like the 1995, the finish is a little linear, straight-laced and foursquare with notes of cedar, tobacco, a touch of Provencal herbs. Moderate length. Considering this is from an older era of Pontet-Canet I like this more than I expected although a pale shadow of what is being conjured nowadays. Drink now-2015. Tasted May 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine has quickly reached full maturity. Still a deep garnet/purple color with a classic nose of cassis intermixed licorice and earth, this robust, medium to full-bodied wine still has some tannin, but the bouquet is complex, the tannin sweet, and the wine very tasty. Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 9/02.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
It seems to me that smart money might want to be chasing after recent efforts from this Pauillac vineyard that is well-situated across the street from Mouton-Rothschild. It is incontestable that the 1989 and 1990 Pontet-Canets are the property's best wines since 1961. The 1990 is as impressive as the similarly styled 1989. Dense purple in color, with a huge, smoky, cassis-scented nose, this well-constituted wine is very tannic, admirably deep, and in need of 5-8 years of cellaring. It is also under-valued. Anticipated maturity: 1998-2015.
About the Producer
The history of Château Pontet-Canet dates back to the early 18th century when Jean-François de Pontet, grand equerry of the king became governor of the Medoc, brings together several parcels of land located in Pauillac. Subsequently, his descendants add the vineyards adjoining the locality Canet: Château Pontet-Canet was born. One hundred years later, the famous classification of 1855 included Château Pontet-Canet among the elite of the Médoc viticulture. This rise did not escape one of the first Bordeaux merchants of the time, Herman Cruse, who bought the property in 1865. He built new cellars, modernized the facilities and made this wine known throughout the world. The Cruse family managedthe property for 110 years, until another merchant, but from Cognac, Guy Tesseron, bought it in 1975. Thus, in more than two hundred years, Château Pontet-Canet knew only three different owners. Today, it is the son of Guy Tesseron, Alfred Tesseron who is at the head of the field. The Château Pontet-Canet terroir consists of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The property is 120 hectares of which 80 hectares are dedicated to the breeding of the vine. Led by Jean Michel Comme, Château Pontet-Canet’s viticulture has gone from conventional cultivation to organic farming and biodynamic farming. Thus, the terroirs, worked daily by Breton horses, have found their originality.
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