2008 CH PONTET CANET 5ÈME CRU PAUILLAC - 12x75cl

Tasting Notes

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  Goedhuis, May 20009,
  Score: 90-92

  Very rich and velvety, this 2008 has a gently perfumed nose of blackberry, cherry, chocolate and hints of black pepper which opens up expansively on the palate revealing mouthfilling and ripe tannins. Underlying freshness surfaces on the finish, adding an attractive salty tang. Very appealing.

• 

  Neal Martin, December 2018,
  Score: 92

  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.

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  Robert Parker, May 2011,
  Score: 96

  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! Drink: 2016 - 2046

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  Robert Parker, April 2009,
  Score: 96-98+

  A wine for our children's children. Nobody in Bordeaux is more attentive to detail than AlfredTesseron 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. Drink: 2019 - 2060

• 

  Jancis Robinson, April 2009,
  Score: 17+

  Expressive dark fruit and sweet citrus freshness. Deep and mouthfilling, deep pile tannins, finishing fresh and satisfying. Plenty of freshness on the finish. (JH)

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  Wine Spectator, April 2009,
  Score: 90-93

  Very dark and brilliant in color, showing wonderful pure fruit, with crushed blackberry, currant and fresh-cut flowers. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, crisp, fruity finish. This offers impressive finesse and length.

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Producer

Château Pontet-Canet

This star has been rising since 1994 when Alfred Tesseron began practicing Draconian-like measuresto extract the most potential from his top Pauillac property. Some of the advances include debudding, de-leafing and severe crop thinning. Unlike many advanced Bordeaux cellars, their vinification vats are not set on "auto pilot" but are manually and meticulously controlled. They understand the needs of each vintage vary and respond accordingly.