| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
An amazing wine in every sense, this classic, full-bodied Pauillac is the quintessential Pontet Canet from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, who continues to reduce yields and farms his vineyards biodynamically - a rarity in Bordeaux. Black as a moonless night, the 2009 Pontet Canet offers up notes of incense, graphite, smoke, licorice, creme de cassis and blackberries. A wine of irrefutable purity, laser-like precision, colossal weight and richness, and sensational freshness, this is a tour de force in winemaking that is capable of lasting 50 or more years. The tannins are elevated, but they are sweet and beautifully integrated as are the acidity, wood and alcohol (which must be in excess of 14%). This vineyard, which is situated on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, appears to have done everything perfectly in 2009. This cuvee should shut down in the cellar and re-open in a decade or more. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2075
Stunning aromas of fresh flowers, with blueberries, blackberries and currants that follow through to a full body, with super balance and finesse. The tannins are super polished. Such class here. Best ever from here. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try in 2018.
Deep garnet in color, the 2009 Pontet-Canet slips sensuously from the glass with opulent scents of crème de cassis, baked plums and Black Forest cake plus suggestions of Chinese five spice, potpourri, oolong tea and menthol. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and oh-so-decadent in the mouth, it has a fantastically velvety frame and seamless freshness, finishing very long.
Yields a bit more than in 2008, with more grand vin too. 81 ha total vineyards. This year they are trying for 24 ha by horse. They can't tell us the alcohol but think it's 13-13.5%.Very dark crimson. Firm and broad and very lively with real vibrant elderberry nose - there IS a bit of extra vitality in this wine! Very very nice and satisfying indeed. There is life to this and great breadth and depth. Intense richness that seems to come from the fruit rather than from winemaking. Something of Lafite's complexity and integrity. Plus Mouton's richness. Dry finish. Very well done. But it is not a wine you want to undertake young - still lots to sort out. Much less open than most. Dense - really quite dry on the end but appetising though very long term. Muscular. Date tasted 1st April 2010. Drink 2020-2035.
A wine I’ve been lucky enough to have numerous times since release, the 2009 Pontet Canet is one of those magical efforts that wine lovers encounter far too infrequently. From one of the greatest vintages for the region ever, this deep, saturated purple-colored effort offers an incredible bouquet of crème de cassis, blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings, damp earth, and graphite. This gives way to a full-bodied, powerful Pauillac that carries a massive amount of sweet fruit yet stays light and beautifully balanced on the palate. With ripe, sweet tannin, an expansive texture, and awesome mid-palate depth, as well as incredible purity, freshness, and delineation, it’s as good as wine gets and can be enjoyed anytime over the coming 4-5 decades. Hats off to proprietor Alfred Tesseron and the team at Pontet Canet. Maturity: 2018 - 2063
Dense colour and pure Cabernet blackcurrant fruit beautifully extracted with great length and perfect harmony, great purity of expression, exuberant yet restrained, great future. Drink 2016-30.
It's no surprise that proprietor Alfred Tesseron has produced a possibly perfect 2009. He's been on a roll since 1994, and no other producer has done more work in the vineyard than Tesseron, who has moved to 100% bio-dynamic farming, reduced yields drastically, and instituted a draconian selection process. This vineyard, which sits on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, has produced a 2009 of extraordinary intensity and purity. It is outrageously concentrated, with silky tannin (the sweetest I have ever tasted in a Pontet-Canet as well as the highest measured), an opaque purple color, and copious notes of graphite, cassis, licorice, and subtle smoke and forest floor. Full-bodied and unctuously textured with striking purity and definition, it is a wine of colossal weight as well as elegance (in itself a poster boy for this paradox in 2009). This brilliant Pauillac requires a decade of cellaring despite its voluptuous texture. It should evolve for 50-75 years. (Tasted four times.) Drink 2020-2095.
Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. I have tasted the Pontet-Canet '09 several times in bottle, but I wanted to wait until I could tasted it blind before posting my first appraisal in bottle (which was done in two different flights.) It has a very rich, almost extravagant bouquet with blackberry, black olive compote, a touch of balsamic and graphite. It is very intense although it seems to calm down in the glass. The palate is very smooth, underpinned by supple, saturated tannins. This is primal, loaded with glycerine, a 2009 determined to make an impression, which it most certainly does. Yet does it quite have the panache and class on the finish compared not only to its peers, but the Pontet '10?
Tasted on four separate occasions, including twice at the chateau, though actually showing best at a negociant. Representing 80% of the crop, 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The nose is very pure, blackberry, small black cherries, a touch of griottes, a hint of cedar and mint. Quite feminine. Not too powerful. Very fine definition. The palate is full-bodied with firm tannins, insistent grip and good acidity, perhaps one of the most structured, masculine Pauillac 2009s but that does not detract from the finesse and poise. But certainly there is backbone here that segues into a tertiary note towards the finish. Very focused, more minerally elements towards the finish, hints of black truffle and smoke towards the finish. Very good persistency, somehow, an assured Pontet Canet. Superb. Tasted March 2010.
From Robert Parker's Hong Kong Tasting, 8th Nov 2011:
This is very sexy on the nose with black truffles, blackberries, blackcurrants, and dark chocolate. Plums too. Full bodied, with an amazing depth of fruit and super silky and intense tannins. This wine has a fabulous clarity and class. Superb. Try after 2022.
Delivers aromas of blueberry skin, fresh flowers, licorice and raspberry sauce, with something exotic underneath it all. Full-bodied, with wonderful clarity and freshness. It's like looking at a full moon on a crystal-clear night in the country. This keeps coming at you, with tannins and ripe fruit. What balance, yet power to the wine. I love how the wine changes and challenges you with every sip.
Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Pontet-Canet is a little shut down to begin, but with coaxing this baby is soon firing on all cylinders with a full-throttle nose of chocolate-covered cherries, crème de cassis, boysenberries and spice cake plus tons of kirsch and cranberry sauce sparks and a beautiful undercurrent of emerging tertiary characters: cigar box, sandalwood, chargrill, truffles and cast iron pan. Full-bodied, rich, multilayered and completely seductive, the palate is charged with incredible energy, with a firm backbone of velvety tannins and seamless freshness providing solid grounding and promising a very long life ahead. It finishes with an incredible display of epically long-lasting flavor fireworks. Wow! Drink 2021-2065.
Lot of talk about so called “perfect” wines & 100 point bullshit... this, ladies and gentlemen, is a perfect wine.
