Wine Advisor
Pontet Canet 2008
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The nose has closed down a little since primeur. Blackberry, wild hedgerow, just a touch of sous-bois, wet clay and dark chocolate. Complex. The palate displays extraordinary power and intensity, firm tannins cloaking layers of pure black fruits with superb persistency towards the finish. Outstanding. Tasted September 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. The Pontet-Canet 2008 has a lovely, extravagant bouquet with scents of blackberry, macerated dark cherries, graphite and sous-bois. It is very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple, almost fleshy entry with seamless tannins. The oak is well integrated with a pleasing citric edge. Not a “classic” Pauillac, a little more voluptuous than others...more like a 2009 in many ways. But it is complex and demonstrates very good persistency in the mouth.Tasted January 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A candidate for the “wine of the vintage,” Pontet Canet’s 2008 boasts an opaque purple color as well as copious aromas of sweet blueberries, blackberries and black currant fruit intertwined with lead pencil shavings, subtle barbecue smoke and a hint of forest floor. Full-bodied, with fabulous richness, texture and tremendous freshness, this first-growth-like effort is more developed than the uber-powerful 2010. Give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades. Bravo!
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Berry Bros. vertical in London. A limpid deep ruby colour. The nose has wonderful definition, very pure with creme de cassis, black plum, a touch of graphite and cedar. It has certainly become less flamboyant and more precise since tasting out of barrel. The second bottle in October 2009 has an added dimension of fresh tangerine. The palate is full-bodied, firm tannins, quite attacking on the front palate, strong Cabernet flavours with that seam of graphite running from start to finish. Blackberry leaf, a touch of black plum and cassis struck through with vibrant acidity. Quite sinewy and less fleshy that I remember but undoubtedly a classy wine. Coming back after ten minutes, the 2008 has more puppy fat than the 2005 and the wine is finally revealing its cashmere finish. Drink 2013-2030. Tasted October 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A wine for our children’s children. Nobody in Bordeaux is more attentive to detail than Alfred Tesseron is at Pontet-Canet. Fashioned from incredibly low yields, a very late harvest, and a Draconian selection, the 2008 will not be close to drinkability for at least a decade, and it should still be in superb form circa 2060. An absolutely amazing effort, it boasts an inky/black/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of creme de cassis, graphite, charcoal, and incense, blockbuster depth, and full-bodied power. The tannins are high, but they are remarkably velvety as well as well-integrated. Sensational acidity gives the wine precision and vibrancy, but the impression is one of massive concentration and power. The 2008 Pontet-Canet, a candidate for the wine of the vintage, is a tour de force in viticultural precision and winemaking savoir faire.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the UGC 2008 tasting in London. The Pontet-Cantet 08 has a rich, almost decadent bouquet with black plum, espresso, vanilla and a touch of coca, unashamedly modern in style but retaining good definition. The palate has very fine grip and backbone, a savoury edge on the entry, touches of white pepper and tobacco dominating the finish that has real persistency. It has a certain -gloss- that I think it will shed over time and it needs to meld together on the finish, but it will reward those that can resist its youthful decadence. Drink 2015-2035. Tasted October 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
En primeur barrel sample. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot. We learnt a lot after 2007. A deep purple colour. The nose has very good intensity, brambly black fruits, a touch of boysenberry, a hint of the Thames estuary, a slight clayey scent although it is more akin to mudflats. Good definition. With aeration it starts to gain cedar scents. The palate is full-bodied with firm, grippy tannins, pure blackberry, cassis, blueberry, this is a Pauillac that really lacquers the mouth. Great persistency on the finish with a touch of black pepper and violets right on the aftertaste. Excellent. Tasted three times, the sample at a negociant showing a little more tension and structure. Tasted April 2009
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Saturated inky-ruby. Classy aromas of blackcurrant and graphite are lifted by Oriental spices and plum liqueur. Sweet, dense and consistent from start to finish, with enticing, creamy flavors of dark berries and chocolate. Finishes long and pure, with a solid tannic bite but with so much sweet, ripe fruit that you hardly notice. Pontet-Canet has been consistently excellent in recent years, and this vintage appears to be among the most successful.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A meeting by chance with the 2008 Pontet-Canet prior to a small tasting of South African wines reminded me what a lovely wine this is. There is plenty of black fruit on the nose laced with graphite. The cedar component is less prominent than the previous bottled tasting. The palate is medium-bodied, a little drier and more austere than recent vintages, yet clearly well balanced with a surfeit of freshness on the slightly herbaceous finish. Drinking perfectly now, this will give another two decades of drinking pleasure. Tasted at a merchant in London.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2008 Pontet-Canet has a very perfumed, outgoing bouquet with raspberry coulis, blackberry, briary and graphite aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, classic in style with a firm, grippy finish that suggest it will need more ageing. I detected just a slight herbaceous note on the aftertaste but I suspect that will disappear with time. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black cherry, lavender, potpourri spices and graphite minerality; high-toned and slightly liqueur-like. Then dense, seamless and vibrant in the mouth, with firm acidity giving outstanding energy to the dark fruit, floral and mineral flavors. Really spreads out on the back end and stays a while. Brilliantly delineated, complex wine with superb cut and penetration.
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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