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Bordeaux 2015: Château Pontet-Canet

Written by JW. Posted in Bordeaux

IMG_1007Château Pontet-Canet is on a roll, the biodynamic wind speeding its sails. The thoughtful and determined approach of Alfred Tesseron and his family, together with right-hand man Jean-Michel Comme, have shepherded this Pauillac estate to the top of its game. Pontet Canet 2015 is a deep, seductive beauty. It has wonderful fruit tones and texture. The holistic approach here appears to be influencing harvest dates, with the grapes achieving phenolic ripeness earlier. This was handy in 2015 as the last of the Cabernet came in on October 3, just as the rains began to arrive.

The early release price here [up 22% in Sterling terms] has started to look very reasonable as the en primeur campaign continued [£792 x12]. Château Pontet-Canet released a second tranche at a higher price (£900×12]. Again I’m a great fan of 2014 in Pauillac [and in the Haut-Médoc generally] and I wonder whether this vintage is now starting to look the smart by at Pontet-Canet too? That said, I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed qualitatively with a purchase of the 2015 here. It is a beautiful wine which I expect will blossom further during elévage.

The following notes were taken on Thursday 7th, April, 2016.

Château Pontet-Canet, Grand Cru Classé, Pauillac

Beautiful colour; deep core; purple edge; ripe and very plush; deep and seductive; some mineral notes; little spice at the back; nice entry; plenty of fruit; blackcurrant; very pure; supple on the mouth; nice extract; very digestible; nice fruit and texture on the finish; very fine tannins; good length. Very well balanced and harmonious. Excellent length. [65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc 2% Petit Verdot, 33hl yield, 95% of the crop in the grand vin, 50% new oak, 35% eggs, 15% one year barrels]. Drink 2024-2040. 94-96+

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