Mini-Vertical of Château Pontet-Canet’s Recent Five Vintages

PontetCanet

It’s difficult to think of a Bordeaux wine estate that has improved the quality of its wines more than Château Pontet-Canet. Situated next to first-growth Mouton Rothschild, the fifth-growth Pauillac property is making some of the most exciting reds in the world. In some vintages, its wines can even rival those of first growths.

Its twin vintages 2009 and 2010, for example, are two stellar reds both highly rated by James. The 2009 vintage shows super balance and finesse, and is a classy wine with extremely polished tannins, as James writes in the tasting note. The wine is on pour at our Great Wines of the World event in Hong Kong on November 2-3. If you want to understand the estate’s pinnacle of winemaking, the wine is a must taste.  

And just when you thought the wines couldn’t get any better, there comes the winery’s legendary 2010 vintage. This wine received a perfect score from James, approachable both young and old. It has a lot of texture and dimension, and is undoubtedly the best wine the estate has ever made, maintains James when interviewing its owner Alfred Tesseron.

To be fair, since Alfred Tesseron took over the winery in 1990s, the quality of the wines has been gradually elevated. Its wines are always about finesse and drinkability with a uniqueness of character from mostly cabernet sauvignon grapes. This can be well illustrated in the five vintages we selected here from 2008 to 2012.

All the grapes used at this 80-hectare estate are biodynamically grown, emphasizing the unique character of its soils and microclimates. Other blends include merlot and cabernet franc, which add a touch of softness and charm to the wines. 

Here are five wines from the 2008 through 2012 vintage ranked by score. Click on the wine names for notes and scores. 

1. Château Pontet-Canet 2010

2. Château Pontet-Canet 2009

3. Château Pontet-Canet 2011 

4. Château Pontet-Canet 2008

5. Château Pontet-Canet 2012

There’s also a video with owner Alfred Tesseron where he talks in detail about the extraordinary 2010 vintage and its comparison with the 2009 vintage. Watch it below. 

-NW

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2 thoughts on “Mini-Vertical of Château Pontet-Canet’s Recent Five Vintages

  1. Simba says:
    James, with all respect, why do declare this as a vertical tasting? Unless I'm missing something, you're just showing the accumulated scores of prior years. A vertical would be very interesting of PC, as I agree with your judgement that the wines are stunning and often better in the last ten years than first growths.

    Thx
  2. James Suckling says:
    I see your point. It's really a mini-vertical. I think it's interesting and educational to see all the side by side. Perhaps it would be better to have them in order of ranking by score? Thanks for your comments.