Wine Advisor
Pontet Canet 2006
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. This remains a sensational Pontet Canet struts its stuff under severe blind conditions. It has a decadent, almost Tuscan bouquet that manages to be supremely well defined with fully embraces the oak, with a touch of gravel underlying the ripe blackberry, tobacco and plum. The palate is full-bodied, very well balanced with pure, fine tannins. I was expecting more of a hedonistic Pauillac, but this is restrained, feminine and beautifully poised towards the finish. Nice gentle but insistent grip. Enormous potential. Tasted January 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s Pontet-Canet dinner at The Ledbury. One of my favourite recent vintages, the 2006 is initially quite “strict” and “edgy” on the nose with cedar, blackberry and graphite but then manifests that opulence and almost braggadocio on the nose. The palate has a seriously good backbone, real structure and beguiling symmetry with a long grippy finish that suggests long-term ageing is a rule, not an option. Tasted February 2011.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One can’t say enough about the extraordinary quality proprietor Alfred Tesseron has achieved at Pontet-Canet over the last decade. The 2006 is another massive wine that may be as backward and concentrated as its nearby neighbor, Mouton Rothschild. Boasting a dense purple/black color in addition to aromas of creme de cassis, incense, burning embers/charcoal, and pain grille, it is monstrous in the mouth with huge flavor concentration, extremely high tannins, and significant extract. Tesseron’s goal appears to be a 50+ year wine. The 2006 requires a decade of patience. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2040+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The nose has closed down since last year, but you can tell there are tightly coiled black fruit here and great delineation. Hints of crushed violets begin to emerge after some vigorous swirling of the glass. The palate is very ripe but not excessive, great poise and delineation with that sense of minerality still coming through on the dense, chocolate and orange-zest tinged finish. An outstanding Pontet-Canet. Tasted February 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted three times, this note from the chateau. Now this is a stunning wine from a property that is both innovative and embracing traditional techniques of vinification. This is their best wine I have ever tasted out of barrel and could surpass even the 2005. A very deep garnet core. The nose leaps from the glass with blackberry, violets and a sense of minerality that I have never encountered before with Pontet-Canet. The palate is beautifully poise with again, an unerring sense of minerality and delineation. Blackberries, violets and a touch of cassis, I cannot help feel that Alfred Tesseron and winemaker Jean-Michel Comme have leapfrogged both Pichon’s this year. An elegant, wonderful poised finish with freshness on tongue. Just a fabulous wine. Tasted April 2007.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Berry Bros. vertical in London. The 2006 Pontet-Canet has a very lifted nose, very pure with an almost Pinot Noir-like allure. Black cherries, creme de cassis and a touch of blueberry with crushed stones in the background. Superb delineation and integration of new oak. With few more minutes in the glass, there is a touch of espresso just beginning to emerge. The palate is full-bodied with sinewy tannins, very good acidity and sense of symmetry, although I would say that this has closed down a little since I last tasted it. Good backbone and sense of vitality. Tannic, grippy and more masculine, graphite tinged finish. Drink 2013-2025. Tasted October 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2006 is a wine to stockpile, especially for those in their thirties and forties as it needs another decade to reach maturity, after which it should keep for 30+ years. This vineyard, just south of Mouton Rothschild, has produced an opaque bluish/purple-colored 2006 with an extraordinarily pure nose of graphite, charcoal, sweet creme de cassis, and a hint of scorched earth. Incredible concentration, stunning richness, and a 60-second finish result in a wine that transcends the vintage as well as this estate’s 1855 classification. This enormously endowed, modern day classic is a legend in the making. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2050+. Enormous credit is due proprietor Alfred Tesseron for turning things around at this estate in 1994, and continuing to produce first-growth level wines. Pontet-Canet is one of the few bio-dynamically farmed vineyards in the Medoc, and Tesseron is such a perfectionist in both the vineyard and wine cellars that his nickname among other bordelais is “Monsieur Bonsai.”
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Pontet-Canet has an extremely pure, vivacious, perfumed bouquet with crushed violets infusing the blueberry and blackberry fruit. But it is all about the detail and precision in this wine. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip in the mouth: lightly toasted black fruit, dried orange peel, cedar and a pinch of white pepper. This feels very cohesive and poised with just a touch of mint entering right on the finish. What a great wine from Alfred Tesseron and Jean-Michel Comme. Go grab the corkscrew now, but don't feel that this wine has to be opened for another 5-6 years. Tasted January 2016.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Saturated medium ruby. Inky cassis, black raspberry, graphite and pungent minerality on the very ripe nose. Dense, rich and silky, with a brooding inky minerality and an almost liqueur-like dark fruit sweetness leavened by a savory peppery element. This very ripe, deep and concentrated wine boasts wonderful lushness without any undue weight thanks to its sheer energy. Like its neighbor Mouton-Rothschild, Pontet-Canet's 2006 conveys a powerful impression of soil character. Finishes with serious dusty tannins and superb lingering sweetness. Should be long-lived.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(60% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot) Bright ruby. Sexy, high-pitched nose offers blueberry, violet, chocolate, minerals and flowers. At once rich and youthfully austere, but with a depth and complexity to its flavors of cassis, violet, minerals and menthol that are rare for the vintage. Finishes with substantial but very fine, supple tannins and lingering notes of cassis, blueberry and bitter chocolate. This very rich but seriously structured wine is built for a long life in bottle.
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.
1981(1)1982(2)1983(2)1988(1)1990(1)1995(1)1996(1)2000(8)2001(4)2002(7)2003(10)2004(5)2005(3)
Package Size
