Tasted at a Commanderie de Bordeaux Tasting. Still young but approachable. Will drink for several decades. Great palate. nose still young, just right with duck cassoulet.
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Drank over two days, alongside the same vintage Domaine de Chevalier.
This has not softened as much as the DdC. Rather, it has retained its original, velvet gloved iron fist character. Delightful fruit, high-order expression of (Pauillac) place, exceptional structure and grip. The finish reveals no conception of quit.
My preference over the DdC, on the strength of its rusticity. Tanninphobes might want to give this a wide berth through 2035. Indeed, even the tannin initiated might find holding bottles through 2030 rewarding. 97-98.
The intoxicating nose wafts out of the glass with abundant notes of floral dark fruits - dark raspberry, black rose, blueberry pastille, blackberry coulis, parma violets, with suggestions of graphite, incense, dusty lavender and hot crushed rocks. Ultra-fine, sleek, polished tannins, with a medium weight, sweet-toned mouthfeel - youthful, but lovely already without decant. The finish is long, silky and airy, with a peppery bite and firm, grainy tannins. With ribeye and garlic rosemary potatoes.
While I liked the bottle, it was not ready. Still very tannic. Decanted for 2 hours, poured it back into the bottle and enjoyed it at a local restaurant.
A bit disappointed, but patience is a virtue - so I'll wait.
Cassis, blackberries, tobacco, liquid rock and flower shop. Like many ‘15s, this is ready and open. Yet, it will last and be an engaging study for at least another two decades. Decanted for an hour, the body is full and the microfiber tannins just caress. The finish sails on for some time. A plush middle palate and redolent. This is a baby ‘09. Drink now - 2040.
From 375ml, decanted and swirled vigorously, started drinking right away.
Beautiful velvet purple color.
Initially some off putting CatP, blew off very quickly but came back a little bit. First half glass had remarkable graphite notes, really pleasant, reminded me of Lafite. Strong cassis, velvety but not fuzzy soft. Elegant, round, still very tannic.
Second half glass aerated for an hour, strong cassis, notes of incense a tiny bit of spice, hints of an elegant aristrocratic countess' perfume.
Juicy, fruity, soft, round, still a little chewy on the tannins even an hour and a half in. Nose isn't explosive but it's still extremely intoxicating. Finish is juicy and still very primary fruit.
Decanted for an hour, and then enjoyed the wine through dinner. It opened up very well with a taste of dark fruits with a notice of plum.Smooth and well blended. .
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During New Year's Eve, the following wines were drunk, for starters Red beet carpaccio;
2019 Bizkaiko Txakolina XX Edition Limited. 100% Hondarrabi Zuri 2021 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 100% Pinot Noir
For main course, whole Entrecôte (on low heat 150 °C), hazelnut potatoes and pepper sauce;
Chateau Pontet Canet 2015 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot.
For starters, it was very interesting to put a white and a red wine against each other. Everyone around the table thought both worked very well. 2019 Bizkaiko Txakolina showed straw yellow color, orange, herbs, a slightly buttery salty note, complex with good length. Although I myself thought the Kutch PN was fantastic with the food, sublime fruit, well balanced and a nice finish.
With the main course both wines were fantastic, what wines. Pontet Canet 2015 is, of course, young, and despite 4 hours in the carafe, the wine felt a little restrained to begin with. But after another 1 hour, this wine grew and grew, cassis and minerality that only good Bordeaux can exhibit. The Ridge Cabernet was just as good, and had an additional dimension of forest floor, leather, tobacco and blackcurrant, but also plum, but also red cherry. Classic Santa Cruz Mountain fruit, despite its 16 years, the wine exhibits a fantastic acidity. Glad I have a bottle left of the 2007.
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Beautiful dark ruby color under light. Insanely intense bouquet of blackberries with, bizarrely, artificial banana on the nose with a touch of black olive. Really hard to describe, mind-blowingly intense tannins with mildly sweet blackberries and mulberries, slightly sweet black olive juice (not disgusting even though it sounds like it), and berry briar. Long tannic berry finish . This has decades ahead of it. Delicious.
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Red brown rim. Nutmeg, blackcurrant, dark red cherries, blackberry and some aged characteristics like mushroom and soy sauce. Seems prematurely aged compared to the bottle I had last year which was young and scored 96. Maybe just bottle variation. NS
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From a bottle purchased at retail. Although enjoyable for what it was, this bottle was clearly not correct. An eight-year-old Pontet Canet should not be garnet colored and showing this level of mushrooms and decaying leaves. A very pretty nose, but also very wrong at this age. Except for the tannins, which belied the bottle’s youth, everything else spoke of a much older wine. Served blind, the nose and appearance would have led me to say this was eighteen to twenty years old. No score. 13.5% ABV.
There's complexity and concentration -- greatness underneath that is unfortunately a bit sullied by a brettiness that overstays its welcome for Pontet (which in 2009 and 2010 was notable for their precision, and was among the best wine I've ever tasted).
Dark purple Nose of plum, oak, lots of gravel, vanilla, and floral notes Full-bodied wine with un-ripened fruit, blackberries and mint. Flavor evolves with a bit more sweetness after decanting.
This wine might benefit from a bit more age. Though pleasant, the un-ripened fruit felt a little out of place after decanting.
Strong acidity and smooth tannins 2023 Wine week with Tressa
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What the heck has Tesseron done at Pontet-Canet? In general, 2015 Bordeaux is too young for me, but this Pontet was a dream. This 2015 beauty is ready and looks ahead a looong shelf life at the same time. Everything you expect from a very good Pontet can be found within this vintage. Congratulations, Monsieur Tesseron!!! PnP and the wine was there dancing the tango in your mouth - erotic, fiery, proud, and emotional - what an experience. Will go for some Pontet 2015 bargain hunting - but shhhh, let the price settle and others hunt for other vintages;-)
My 2nd of these - last one I had was over five years ago, and this is still so hard to rate. Bottle from Costco, this again felt quite muted, light to medium bodied, not so concentrated, a bit awkward. I'll assume it's just not ready, but that might be a generous impression. I tend to struggle with this producer - the only notable exceptions were '09 and '07 which were fantastic. Just had half the bottle on night #1, so might be better on 2nd showing.. Better on the 2nd day - more alive and electric, still very light-bodied and a bit muted though. The absence of weight here is so different to the style of some other Pauillacs like GPL and Lynch Bages.
Dark ruby red with light purple edge. Complex noses highlighted by cassis, raspberry, wood and flowers, very expressive. A little compact on the palate at the beginning with restrained power; competely impressed by the beautiful acidity shortly after, with a fresh, juicy and polished mouthfeel. The finish is slightly tannic but elegant. Effortless to drink now but undoubtedly years to go reaching its peak.
Slow OX in bottle for 3 hrs. nice dark color, cherry en dark fruit tones ion nose and pallet. full body with long finish nice balance with balance with tanines. diifferent layers with some spice. needs a littel more development.
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3rd of a six pack. Coravin pour on day one. Decantered the remainder on day 2. Terrific nose, some cassis and blackberry. Was probably better on day one, but this felt a bit more shut down than previous bottles. Possibly needed more air, but will leave the stash alone for a while now. Around 93+ on this showing
1st of 12. Truly amazing wine. The nose has lovely blackberry fruit, sweet tobacco, graphite, and elegant cedar. The palate has utterly delicious, fresh fruit, with a hint of beautiful cedar - the finish is endless. It's medium bodied and elegant, with fine, but very present tannins. This wine presents as incredibly youthful and will live for a very long time.
Solid wine, decanted 3 hours by our host, Agelvis. Medium translucent purple in the glass, it shimmers. Mushroom, leather, lead pencil, black cherry/blackberry on the nose. A very clean cherry fruit on the palate, great precision and balance to this wine. It may be a tad linear at the present time but it's very well structured and put together. The more '15s I have the more I get about the differences in the Bdx '15/'16 vintages. This one very much has a '15 Bdx feel to it. I loved this wine and it'll probably get to 97 for me in 5 more years but it's a very good drink now for those Cali people who value a little more restraint to their Cabs rather than the big over the top fruit bombs. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of fruit here but it's restrained and classy. Thanks for opening Ag!
Three hour decant. Very deep dark ruby magenta color. Leather, black cherry, graphite, raspberry, and subtle bacon fat and sarsaparilla. Super smooth, dry, and slightly astringent palate. Full, plush tannins on the longish finish.
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Very pure. Upon the first whiff, the floral notes are captivating and are harmoniously complemented by the rich aroma of blue and black fruits.
On the palate, the wine is nothing short of impeccable, with a tantalizing mix of blackberry and tobacco flavors that showcase the complexity and depth of this vintage. The finish is impressively long, allowing the taste to linger on the tongue, teasing out the wine's subtleties and nuances.
The acidity in this wine is well-balanced, providing a perfect counterpoint to the rich fruit flavors. The result is a wine that boasts a velvety texture and a complex, layered taste that is sure to please the most discerning of palates.
Love this wine So big. Some tar and smoke. Had with Julia Child’s rack of lamb. Perfect match. Great nose Nice finish. Had let it breathe in decanter for 3 hours Lots of sediment
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Cigar box, leather, graphite, notes of blackberry; slightly muted but classic nose; smooth and elegant but full, very long, succulent, excellent now, and excellent potential
Pontet-Pym Rae Winemaker’s Dinner (Mathilde/K&L SF). This wine brings out 2 conflicting impulses in sfwl: not reviewing wines from tastings/winemaker dinners (too many wines/too little time/too small pours/not enough, or any, chances to see how it pairs/uncertainty about aeration protocols, etc.) vs. wading into discussions where CT friends have come to different conclusions. This wine was additionally interesting since I *loved* the ‘16, am generally but not absolutely skeptical about BDX (a whole other conversation covered in other notes), especially young—and make no mistake, for me this is young. This was the first PC, served with the opening course of a creamy gnocchi (what’s a French bistro doing serving this definitive dish from the Land of my beloved Boot? That’s a different conversation.) after the ‘18 Pym Rae (which I’ve reviewed) and a Roederer 242 (which I haven’t), so my tasting facilities were still quite keen. On the nose and palate, classic and fairly intense Bordelaisian funk, earthy minerality, black cherries, mixed black berries, cassis, black currants, a faint red fruit note, pencil shavings and light notes of tobacco and leather. Medium-medium+ tannins and acidity, already balanced and mostly integrated. VG++ complexity, VG+ persistence and intensity. Ok, so I’m in disagreement with CT friends LioF and csimm: this wine, as it appeared before me, was very much good to go. Per the above, I don’t know the aeration ablutions other than that it had spent “hours” in a decanter, but this was well-balanced, no sharp edges from the moment I first sipped it (it was consumed over 15 minutes or so). The Pontets fascinate relative to the better-liked by me, although ridiculously more expensive, PRs, as all are all over the map, not just in quality, to my palate, but in characteristics. The ‘16, which wasn’t poured but I enjoyed so much 5 months ago, could have easily passed for Napa, with opulent fruit, at least as much as the PRs, and ample power. The fruit is fine here, but this is more what I’d think of classic BDX, with funky-earthy notes at least holding it to a stalemate, producing a more elegant, subtle wine, with the underlying structure working really well with the creaminess of the gnocchi. Even if this wasn’t the ‘16, it was still more vibrant than any of the other 3 PCs: the ‘17 (NR, dead or just balled up), the ‘06 (91-92, kinda boring, what I think of as a fairly typical, indistinct BDX) and the ‘94 (93-94, sophisticated and lovely but slightly past peak). It’s definitely worth opening now if you can cajole it (when was the last time you heard me say open something now that Liof suggests waiting 3-4 years for?) the way my hosts did last night, but if you have multiple bottles, it will certainly be interesting to track over the next 10-15 years (although CT’s 2043 window seems optimistic, for this wine and perhaps for me). At around the $125 I’m seeing this for on WS, this may well be something I’ll pick up. 94-95+
From 375. No notes. Wine comes off as just starting to come off it’s sleepy/nap time Vs fully open for Business. Wondeful Bordeaux nose with so much going on but palate wouldn’t reveal more than the surface. Hold for 3-5 more years hoping for the wine to unfurl in the coming years .
Its good but not as good as I wanted to be. Decanted for 4 hours its a good wine but not excellent and that what I expected. Don't see it getting better but will leave the rest of my bottles for another 4+ years to see if it gets better. This one is going to be a long game. Similar feelings about 16.
Clearly still a young wine which I expect to improve. Decanted for 5-6 hours. I don't regret opening the bottle......will be interesting to track its evolution. It is a classic deep/dark Pauillac.
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2 hour decant. Elegant , silky smooth , dark berries, herbs. Everything you look for in a great Bordeaux. First bottle of a case. Definite upside with time.
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Next to the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou this drinks like a younger brother. Simpler, more opulent, more black fruits and sweet oak. Less structured and layered, shorter finish. Can certainly improve with age, but no higher than the 95 mark. 94 now, 95 in the future. Can drink now just fine.
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nicely red ruby color the nose is very open and expressive, it's typical of the left bank notes of cassis, red fruits, precious wood, cigar, vanilla, the mouth has an amazing texture (feeling like the wine was perhaps 5 to 10 years older), silky tannins, a good acidity, full body perhaps a little lake of lenght for a wine of its pedigree Excellent
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Trinity Wines tasting (Stavros Niarchos): Big, bold, spicy, a touch gamey, bretty, iodine, black cherries and currants, licorice, earthy Palate really dense, some bretty notes, tight tannins, really youthful, almost painfully so, med to full body, med finish give it a lot of time
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Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black fruits, black currant, cassis, spices, pencil, vanilla. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is polished and velvety. Decanting it >3 hours will help soften the tannin.
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Riveting bouquet - shading to Margaux - of ripe berries, thick petal flowers, plum and berry compote, Crème de Cassis, berry liqueurs, potpourri, 'sweet' herbs, molasses, pipe tobacco, and gravel. As with previous bottles, the bouquet also shows Burgundy-like elements. In a word: ethereal!
Equal parts piercing and deep. Incredible saturation! Merlot shows prominently upfront, its suave velvet draping a deep purple core. Exceptional balance of fruit, terroir, structure, alcohol, and oak. It changes inflection throughout, consistently delivering Crème de Cassis and blueberry liqueur top notes.
Even better on the second and third days. It matched the Lynch-Bages in tension and lift, and delivered greater range and depth. Mint and eucalyptus essences dance offer titillating interplay with the crimson and purple berry notes. While hinting at Margaux in perfume, the middle to back transitions leaves no doubt as to its Pauillac provenance.
A next level offering! Truly profound! Likely to peak after 2040, probably around 2045. Drink by 2050 or so.
Deeply colored, initially you notice Cuban cigars, eucalyptus, coffee bean, flowers, blackberries, and cassis. On the palate, the wine is rich, plush, and polished with an opulence to the texture. The fruit is packed and stacked with wave after wave of mouth-coating fruits that paint every nook and cranny of your palate. There is fabulous sweetness, lift, and depth. There is no touch of heat. Even with all of this power, the wine is balanced. Completely effortless to drink, this is already sublime in your glass. But, give it a few more years in the cellar and it is only going to get better and better. An interesting point, 2015 marks the first vintage without a second wine, allowing you to experience the totality of what the entire 81-hectare vineyard produced. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV. Drink from 2025-2060.
I decanted Ch Pontet Canet 2015 slowly from the bottle (not decanter) for 7hrs. It was smooth, stunning & powerful. Goes on for minutes, best when you pair it with Steak. Highly recommended superb vintage!
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Deep ruby red in the glass. Decanted, has a good amount of sediment. What strikes first is polished new oak, then is followed by red berry fruit (strawberry, raspberry), plum, dried tobacco, vanilla and some dried herb whiffs. Big & broad but has this very fine touch of elegance strung through it which only the best Pauillac can possess. Tannins are still quite tight, but they're not overpowering the acidity or alcohol. Everything will be synced together in the upcoming years, this is just cracking open its drinking window.
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Ink black in the glass with ruby rim consistent with a 7 yr old classed growth left bank Bordeaux red. The nose is closed until after 25 minutes breathing in the decanter. All primary and secondary aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, blackberry, dark cherries, charcoal, camphor, hints of olives and pencil shavings. No aged aromas. The palate is full bodied with firm acid and mouth coating tannins. Elegant and balanced. Like the 2009 Pontet. Same personality as neighbour Mouton-extroverted and masculine. This bottle is similarly open as another Pontet 2015 I tasted last year. However, I tasted one a few months ago that seemed shut down. The wine fades after 1 hour and 20 mins in the decanter. Drunk at 16 deg C. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Estimated drinking window 2030-2075. NS
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Addendum to my note from 2 years ago. No, I didn’t wait 5 years, but a special occasion called for an opening. Well, it’s in a much better space now. Lost much of its cherry ripe signature. Much more approachable (c2h decant). Outperformed the PCL’15 I had a few weeks ago. 94-95+
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Fruity nose with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, light vanilla, earth, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates and tobacco leaf.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 7 year old, from the great 2015 vintage, is drinking very nice right now.
This Fifth growth Bordeaux is showing nice complexity, with a soft and elegant mouthfeel.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours in the decanter.
Young, but already delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.
Robert Parker 97 points.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.
A Delicious wine that drank better than the 1996 I had 4 years ago.
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 16 months.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$130.
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A lot of fruits on the nose after 4 hours in the decanter. Very fragrant as well, very balanced on the palate. Dare I say this is the style of high end Napa.
ECCC Bordeaux tasting event; appx 65% CS, 30% merlot, 4% cab franc and 1% PTV; nose was crazy complex and fun to explore - had a bit of funk in it which was nice to find after some consistent Bordeaux noses during the tasting; excellent wine with multiple layers of black and red fruit that was balanced with acidity and somewhat chewy tannins; bought two bottles - looking forward to drinking over time and comparing with the 2015 Lynch Bages bought as well
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Half glass tasting pour, unsure how the bottle was prepared. Gorgous nose, you just want to keep smelling it. Very complex. Palate is silky; very young pure fruit great concentration, but a bit harsh at this early stage.
This stood out the most when compared to Rauzan-Segla, Smith Haut Lafitte and Troplong Mondot of the same vintage.
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Decant 6 hours to begin drinking, 8-10 hours would be better. Exquisite fruit blast on nose. Vegetal notes mixed in with bold grape and hint of funk. Has a bit of American Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Profound ripe black fruits, toasted spices, fresh fennel, savoury smoked meat, spice box and river stones. Palate is intense, rich and savoury. Medium-plus structure with fine tannins. Most of the fine elements are hidden behind the velvety texture for now. Transition to finish is somewhat abrupt. Needs at least 3 hours or more in the decanter. Cannot rush this, it needs time for the wine to gather itself and show its complexity and balance. I suggest to wait for at least 3 more years before approaching it. 94-96 pts.
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2015 Meritage & Bordeaux Reds; 12/12/2021-12/13/2021 (Canoehead Central): Double decanted for 1.5 hours. Dark core of purple with crimson rim. Bit of a funky nose - not corked but more like dusty Brett. On this point alone many guessed in the blind tasting this was Italian with that aroma. Fruit was leaning to tertiary with a port profile of steeped, macerated fruit. Long finish. Good quality. Very good structure. Open next bottle in 2023.
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This wine appears to be shutting down after 6 years. It was far more open when I tasted it last year. I would wait 5 years to try it again. In its closed state its character is more St Estephe but at 90 minutes post decantering it revealed its true Pauillac nature more. Mauve edge opaque core. Closed nose. Nutmeg cigar box blueberries cherries wet earth dirty water roses. Well balanced. Good length. Firm tannins. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. 16 deg C best around 45 minutes post decantering. Suggested drinking window 2030-2080. NS
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Slow ox for one hour. This is surprisingly open for business. Pretty floral nose with plum and spice notes. The wine is medium bodied, quite elegant, pure and precise. This is quite different than many other pontet canet’s I have tasted. What it lacks in power and concentration it makes up for in elegance and sophistication.
Double decanted for two hours and took to a tasting with DV. Nice tinge of iodine colour in the legs. Pronounced aromatics throughout the initial decant but the palate was mostly closed off with tannins and acid battling it out. However, four plus hours in this really started to live up to its nose. Slate, menthol and cherry preserves on the nose and then more layers of dark red fruits, even fig jam on the tongue. The acid and the tannins were well matched with grilled burgers with Stilton and caramelized shallot jam. Solid wine with great potential. My wife says the name is an anagram for "potent" which implies both its potential and its power. Looking forward to seeing how other bottles perform (and probably increase my rating) but will probably wait until 2023 for the next opening.
Plum, cherry, big nose, fine grippy tannins indicate further cellaring required. Cherry and mineral/wet stone notes on the palate. Complex wine that will reward generously in a decade. Upside only and easily a 95 in ten years. Thanks Canoehead for bringing this! Looking forward to another in many years from now.
TCWC tasting along with Pym-Rae 2016: still very young and while enjoyable, unmemorable because it is 10 years (at least) from peak period. The nose is absolutely gorgeous and classic Bordeaux - earthy notes, cassis, dark fruit, licorice, and just a touch of vanilla from the new oak. On the palette, full bodied richness with some black fruit and slightly vegetal (in a welcome way) secondary notes. Good concentration, massive tannin. Still harsh but great potential when it comes into balance and the tannins soften. Showed better fruit contrasted with some savory blue Stilton.
Pontet & Pym Rae with TCWC (Zoom): A 4oz sample poured off from its original bottle two days earlier, allowed to breathe in the glass an hour before the tasting began. Deep crimson garnet color. Aromas of black currant and earth, with hints of saddle leather, licorice and violet underneath. Full-bodied and tannic, with flavors of black fruit and spice. With additional time in the glass notes of cedar and something a bit herbal- mint perhaps- emerge. Adds tobacco and mineral nuances as well. Tannins have a slightly chalky feel, and there’s good underlying acidity. An excellent showing for this wine, and one to add to the cellar and hold until 2030+.
TCWC Tasting with Pym Rae. Nose of dark fruit and cedar. On the palate, dark fruit, plum, cassis, cigar box. This wine imparts a freshness, perhaps from the acidity that is wonderful. Firm tannins. Definitely will get better with age.
The wine was spectacularly oaked. Not sure what else to say other than it tasted quite like expensive oak, much of it new. Very velvety. From a 375ml. Opened before its time. Would not open another one for 10 years.
SWW - Bordeaux (On-line): Strong nose with dark fruits but as well as some mature wines notes, very interesting. Well built with a superb long finish, a nice savory addition with is not so common for Bordeaux.
I tasted the 2009 at roughly the same age and this is a clone. The 2009 over the few years from that tasting appeared to shut down and a tasting this year at 11 years old revealed it still was stubbornly so. I expect the 2015 will do the same. If you only have a few bottles,I would either enjoy it over the next couple of years or wait till 2030. The wine has an opaque black core with a ruby perimeter and mauve edges. It smells of greatness. Masculine. Blueberries, ripe black cherries, layers of spice, blackcurrant and cigar box. The palate is viscous and powerful but with balance. The fruit is ripe and intense.It has a firm tannic structure. The length is eternal. Drunk from Riedel Bordeaux glasses. 16-18 degrees C. Best after 45 minutes in the decanter. Estimated drinking window 2030-2080. Declaration of interest: I have 6 bottles. NS
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Pop and poured, and was ready to go. My first 2015 that doesn’t seem shut down at all, unlike a Malescot I had a few months ago. Amazing purity and density, smooth and refined. A tad on the sweet side and the layers of secondary flavors are subtle at the moment, but no doubt will improve significantly in a decade!
Bordeaux 2015 - 5 Years On - Many Top Shots: All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.
TN: Being served as the last wine in a tasting with so many amazing wines, this Pontet Canet surprised positively. Don’t let you fool by the 10th rank out of 13 wines. It is so, so Pauillac, so classic with pure cassis, pure dark fruit, tobacco, lots of graphite but not missing that extra kick and sweetness on the palate to make it extremely inviting and charming at the same time. To close the gap to the very best wines it would have probably needed just a tad more concentration and just a little bit more complexity. Great wine.
Decanting: Not decanted. Good from the go but I guess one or the other hour would have improved the experience further.
Bordeaux 2015 horizontal - Part 1 (Stüssihof, Zurich): Part 1 of a Bordeaux 2015 horizontal privately organized among 7 fellow wine enthusiasts. We were amazed by the overall accessibility of the 2015 with only 1 out of 13 wines closed. Cheval Blanc was both my favourite and the group's wine of the night. All wines were decanted at the individual's discretion which ranged from slow ox overnight to 6-7h decants. In general I would recommend a proper 2h decant (or more) if you want to pop a 2015 now. List of wines in the tasting story.
Tasting note: Very ripe, blueberry fruit, fruit tart, a bit of tobacco, some animal and meaty notes. Fruit became sweeter and more red over time. Elegant, soft yet fairly muscular palate. This is straight forward and linear and probably best described as "classic". Consistent impression like 2 years ago. Close to but maybe not quite at the level of the 2016.
Opened for 3 hours. Color is deep red/purple. On the nose cassis, blackberry essence and some spice notes. On the palate cassis, plum , blackberries and violets. Massive tannins. This wine is fabulous but needs time. Way to young to drink. I think needs at least 5 more years.
Big whack of cherry on the nose. A bit missing from the mid palate. Slightly drying tannins. Nice, but not spectacular. Probably needed a longer decant. 92+
Crisp sour cherry, cranberry, purple plum skin, limestone, raspberry seeds, and some citrus. Rides crunchy, high, and red, with a puckering acidity that didn’t let up at all over three hours of decanted air. Stayed in the upper register mid-palate, finishing linear and bitter with more bracing acidity. A bit of a teeth-clattering experience. Threw off a ton of sediment.
This behaves more like a cranberry juice cocktail in its current state. In desperate need of 10-15 years of slumber. 90-91+? points.
The 2014 was unconvincing as a wine to follow. This 2015 hasn’t made that much clearer for me. I can recognize its potential in one sense, but I’m not sure how folks are getting so much enjoyment out of this right now. I like me some acid and all, but this enamel-stripping lacquer varnished-off a solid layer of taste buds on the ‘ol palate. Yikes.
The nose was intense, showing dark, crushed red berries and exotic spices, haunting, dark purple florals, and sweet dusty minerals. On the palate, I found soft, enveloping textures ushering in red and wild berry fruit, with brisk, moutherwating acids, and sweet minerality as tannins saturated, mounting with each sip, showing heroic structure over dried, grippy red fruits and spices throughout the long, cheek puckering finish.
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The 2015 Pontet Canet shows tremendous promise. As intense and saturating as the blueberry, wildflower, mineral, fresh leather nose is, it’s also so elegant and light on its feet. Beautiful presence and balance on the palate, full bodied with good acidity and no lack of structure, yet the tannins aren’t aggressive and almost creep up on you. Wonderful pencil and cassis finish. Something special is happening at Pontet Canet. 95-96
Two hours of decanting into my glass and watch it develop for the next two hours. Mainly it's a balanced juice with a good feel in the glass and a nose of enter the woods and smell the wood and the terrain. The taste coats your mouth with satisfaction due to the weight and balance. Successful attempt.
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Tasted over two days, from the same bottle coravined in November '18 and June '19.
Special days call for special wines, and this bottle called to me. Upon pulling the cork, the wine sported a seductively feminine bouquet of purple and black berries, red and purple flowers, berry liqueurs, and much other goodness...some of which transcended the known world. Put differently, the bouquet offered Heavenly essences.
The wine needed about an hour to breathe before featuring all the same elements as the bouquet. The attack was at once subtle and tart. The pronounced Crème de Mûre and Crème de Cassis notes, which showed at the middle and back, were particularly knee-weakening, as was the soul-soothing textural weight. Considerable powdery tannins graced the back and finish, which had no conception of 'quit'.
Overall, it seemed the wine stands at the threshold of a long closed down slumber. As such, I plan to leave my bottles alone for several years...if, indeed, such a feat is possible.
A unique vintage of Pontet-Canet, my consistent Left Bank preference over all others not named Latour. The essence of the 2015 Left Bank vintage lies within this superb offering. Seek it out. 97-98.
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Pours a transparent ruby with an open bouquet. This house is showing a different style than virtually any other 2015 Left bank I’ve tried. Closest to Dom de Chevalier, but it’s even a touch more elegant. Christmas spice and tart cranberry but still showing red currant and cherry Cabernet character. Finish is clipped a little by the firm acidity. I’m glad to hold a couple for the sake of diversity as it is not at all what I was expecting.
Burgundy lovers will be absolutely floored when they try this wine in 15 years.
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Superb, as good as it gets. It goes fast, sip by sip. Elegant, round, long, full of fruit. If you want to try it before it closes it is the time. Delicious!
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Decant for at least 4 hours and be rewarded with early access to delicious and elegant black currants, tobacco, fine tannins, and a lifted, lengthy finish. Power, fruit, structure, and velvety mouth-feel all come together after 6 hours, though your early access pass doesn't get you the complexity that'll be coming in the years ahead. If you have several bottles, it's no crime to pop one open now and check it out.
Upon opening one is greeted with a very fresh nose that gushes from the glass. Black and red fruits interplay with hints of chocolate and violets. After eight hours of breathing in the decanter a touch of raspberry is also present.
Red and black berries slide across the palate with acidity holding everything in check. Medium to full bodied the flavors hold together in a dance with tannins that allows the wine to carry through to a long finish.
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Pontet-Canet consistently expresses vintage as well or better than other Chateaux. Want to understand how the ripeness of 2003 affected the Left Bank? Look no further! Curious about the marked rusticity of 2006? Here you go! Questioning the notably understated quality of 2008? This (along with Leoville-Barton) is the grail!
The same holds true for 2015, which ranks among the most misunderstood Bordeaux vintages of my (wine) lifetime, a Burgundy aficionado's year. There are exceptions of course, notably Giscours and Rauzan-Segla, yet Pontet-Canet, along with Domaine de Chevalier, captured the elegance that this vintage offered.
An ethereal elixir, deceptively powerful, featuring high acid and powdery tannins. It will age forever...and then some. Worth tasting now, and better in time. 97-98.
There was only this vintage at the Lord's 2018 en primeur tasting. One of the best wines of the evening. Big blackcurrant nose. Huge amount of fruit and the tannins are restrained at first, asserting themselves later. Superb. Needs a good steak. Tempting to try a bottle now but I'll wait 4 or 5 years.
A very good bottle of wine. Yes it is young but these Pontet Canet is very good young. Thick chewy tannin with earth and currant. People rave about 2015, this was good but got the doors smacked off of it compared to the 09 at around the same age after release. A good wine that may be great but nothing like the 09.
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2 hour decant. Infanticide for sure but this has the goods. Less flavors/complexity than I would have expected but that very well could have been to phase/early consumption HOWEVER the tannins/mouthfeel is fantastic- velvety, luscious ‘sweet’. Won’t touch for a while but very excited to what it can become. 92-93 now but 95+ realistic.
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A matter of taste (The Dolder Grand, Zurich): *** Brief notes from wine fair, primary for my own memory *** Glass: Stölzle Universal Very round and soft. Very approachable. Classic CS fruit, spices. Very elegant, not fat, great potential. 93-95+
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An absolutely beautiful wine. Rich, velvety, dense, perfect silky tannins, incredibly balanced. I recommend opening one up but saving your other bottles until at least 2025.
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Clearly way too early to drink these. However, for the team- I pulled one. Really tight with some puckering tannins, a whole lotta cassis and some deep dark fruit.
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Decanted 8 hrs. From the first sniff it was obvious this was going to be a special experience, and it delivered, big time. The aromatics were divine, and very open for business; it sports all the classic Left Bank traits – Cassis, raspberry, floral scents buffered nicely against some deep soil tones as this is a Cabernet nose at its absolute best. The magic here was simple, while the palate continued the exuberance of the nose, and tracked equal characteristics too, the weight was light as a feather. Seamless as a Cashmere sweater, I cannot ever recall drinking a red that I was so enthralled with its textural qualities. Sticks the landing to appease even the cranky French Judge with a late, impeccably timed acidic note that adds the perfect cleansing finish. At this level, $115 is a steal.
Rich wine with a heavy dark fruit feeling, a little wet leather, autumn leaves and smoke. A little cedar too.
Rich and delicious wine. More delicate style with lots of fruit. Lovely sweet blackberries, juicy black currant, ripe blueberries, pencil tip, light tobacco and leather. Tighten graphite feeling on a long and appealing finish. Great wine.
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Tasted on back-to-back days from Coravin, alongside several high quality Bordeaux and Burgundy. This stood out!
Unlike the same vintage Domaine de Chevalier, and a few other wines, it showed beautifully from the outset, the Coravin did not detract from its aromatics. The wine features a suave regality, leaning more toward Queen than King, especially by Pauillac standards. In this way, it evokes memories of Latour.
Captivating amalgam of red and purple berries, fresh, light, and deceptively powerful. In particular, the medium plus to high acid and intriguing loess-like tannins at once frame the wine beautifully and attest to its longevity, probably three decades or more. The wine also features enthralling, inflection changing textures, that put the mind to Burgundy.
My second favorite vintage of Pontet-Canet, after the 2010, and yet, I think this wine is prettier. Learning to enjoy Burgundy, courtesy of my good friend ES, makes me appreciate this wine all the more. Get Some! 96-98.
This is such a great wine - tasted Langtons Sydney 2015 Bordeaux event. 2nd top wine of night. Like velvet yet so beautifully powerful but with no over-extraction. An ethereal and engaging wine with clear Cab Sav structure and backbone. Beautiful cassis with leather, tobacco, chocolate and integrated spices. A transformative wine experience. Mouthfilling yet cleanly acidic and tight.
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Matter of taste (London): Lots of cedar and pencil shavings, sweet cassis aromas, glue. Deep and layered fruit. Again a bit more backward and tannic compared to the rest but with a beautiful cassis tinged end. A great success. 94-96p
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The 2015 Château Pontet-Canet is yet another success from this estate. This gorgeous blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot begins with inviting aromatics of dark red cherries and blackberries which are laced with spring flowers, graphite, tobacco and spicy nuances all soaring from the glass. On the palate this is full-bodied, layerd and beautifully structured with a lovely opulent texture and remarkable overall balance. While this is already showing a ton of early appeal, it also possesses all the signs for a long, graceful evolution ahead.
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Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): This is an unfair time to be trying this wine. First impression is it comes across as a bit simple, but I think it's really more that it's young. The red fruits are there and there's a tightness that is prob holding back other flavors. I would just give it time. I think it could be quite nice.
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"It's extremely young" notes Alfred. Between '15 and '16 we are going to need to use a cork screw many times.
In 1994 Alfred took over from his father and he was doing a green harvest. And we had a sizeable crop and when had done it in 1989 but far from the house so his father didn't see it. But in '94 his father finally noticed it. And was extremely upset and very unhappy. And he, and all the old vineyard hands were totally against it. But Alfred really believes that its good and the quality was really coming up. And let me do the wines from A to Z. And that happened but just barely, but then dad admited the wine was good, and so he did finance and then Alfred did the wines as he wanted.
And now they are very lucky because John Michel is always there with new ideas and the wines are always progressing.
Deep ruby (bordering on black). Black currant, raspberry liqueur, and black cherry provide the opening salvo (all smelling quite ripe for a Bordeaux) while lead pencil shows classic Pauillac and lavender, pine, thyme, anise (pepper) and leather complete this mesmerizing aroma profile. Undoubtedly this wine is still a baby and needs at least 8 years to show its real potential, however, it all comes off quite nicely now in the glass with a very strong tannins and good acid. Excellent finish make for a world class wine.
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Very difficult to rate this at such an early stage of development. Tannins are surprisingly soft; i guess they are more unformed than absent. There is a slight oaky, marzipan tone. Seems like a delicate beauty but it’s infanticide to open it now. Will try and have patience before opening the next one.
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Deep ruby color, long legs, fresh berry aromas. Very high-toned flavor profile, huge acidity, mild graphite notes, sophisticated, elegant, powerful, with fine purity and balance. Long finish, but doesn't have the weight and depth of the '10, still a great effort.
Wow, wow, wow, this wine blew me away. Easily the most acid driven bdx i've ever had. Now this wasn't high toned face ripping acids but the acid structure on this wine was so fresh and present it was amazing. Graphite, peppers, fresh tilled earth, a hint of cellar dust, leather, dark berries that were lush but not over ripe. So balanced in it's youth but was blow the doors off in 10 or 20yrs. Was amazing with steaks.
Difficult to express the three day tasting experience with this transcendent wine. It is perhaps my favorite Pontet-Canet tasted to date, nudging out only the brooding 2010 vintage, which is probably a better wine, and will probably be longer-lived. By comparison, this wine conveys the suave and elegant side of Pauillac terroir. Indeed, in my admittedly limited two vintage experience, only Château Latour achieves this better than the present wine, and I can offer no higher praise. The bouquet, slightly reticent at first, offers the finest purities and satisfying harmonies of varieties and place. Superb quality Cabernet Sauvignon plays the leading role here, with Merlot adding the textural elegance for which it is often lauded, but in my experience, rarely achieves. The Petit Verdot is also particularly expressive, adding deep purple floral nuance. The mouthfeel imparts the impression of a still alpine pond, which ripples when a stone is thrown into it, and then returns to still. This abstract depiction, for more concise words escape me, speaks to the wine's texture, which coats and soothes the entire palate with a sheen layer of mind-bending pleasure, enhanced by velvety tannins. Medium plus to high acid, along with copious plush tannins grace a deeply satisfying finish of exceptional length. Medium body, and at 13 abv, impeccable balance. It should evolve over the next fifteen years, likely improve, and last fifteen years thereafter. High QPR! 96-98.
Bordeaux 2015 in bottle (Zurich Arvi / Singapore UGCB): Not a big fan of the Pontet Canets between 2000-2009, often too extracted with too little terroir. This one rocked however. Ripe, fleshy, sexy palate with dark fruit, blackberry, pine, complex. Sophisticated mouthfeel, good freshness. A very complete, aromatic Pauillac. More Mouton than Lafite in style. Together with Lynch Bages (wich is more Laifte style) the best Left Bank wine today. If you don't want to shell out money for the Mouton, buy this.
At a larger merchant tasting, only quick tasting notes taken. Ripe, dense and powerful, but with beautiful freshness too, darker notes of dark plum, cedar wood, menthol and tobacco. A big but very sophisticated wine. (96-97)
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We kicked the event off with this one. Immediatly shows new leather, juisy and fresh fruit but also floral aromas. Round and full bodied with soft tannins. Already a pleasure now!
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Back to a cool, concentrated, menthol led nose with strawberry and other red berries. Medium weight. Not the depth of the 09. Cool and slightly sweet palate. River tannins than the 2014.
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Assessing Bordeaux 2015 from bottle, part I; 11/2/2017-11/3/2017 (Bordeaux): Fulfilling its promise from barrel and then some, I loved the purity of fruit and pencil lead on the nose, sharing much in common with Léoville Las Cases, if not quite as intense. Time in glass brought forth subtle floral aromatics, too. The wine was bottled in July and from bottle now has a focused precision and freshness, too, owing to a somewhat low pH we were told at the estate. The finish tightens up a bit but that is normal. Aged in 50% new oak, 35% amphora and the rest in barriques d’un vin. "No rognage, no leaf clearing, no green harvest," explained director Jean-Michel Comme. So “neutrality” with amphorae is added to the winemaking: for information, the wines breath through these as well... An excellent Pontet!
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Deep ruby colour.The nose is very pure,crème de cassis,plum,black cherry,subtle earth,spices and some floral notes.The palate is medium-bodied with excellent depth,velvety texture and very fine grained,elegant, silky tannins.A wine that makes you want to drink it already,but the best is yet to come. (95+)
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A fabulous wine that has really developed well since it was first placed in barrel. Rich, dense and intense, the wine is deeply colored powerful and refined. The wine will hit the middle and probably the top of my initial score range with ease.
Expressive nose showing aromas of dark cherries, black currants, dark plums, vanilla, cinnamon and clove.
It is dry in the mouth with a fresh acidity. It has firm fine-grained tannins and a medium+ alcohol. It is full-bodied with pronounced intensity flavours. The finish is long.
It is a very good quality wine. It shows complexity provided by oak ageing, but these notes are note well-integrated yet. There's balance between concentration, tannic structure, acidity and alcohol and the finish is very persistent
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Developing nicely, this is going to be a strong vintage for the chateau. The wine exchanges elegance with ripe, sensual, polished textured, freshness and purity of fruit. This should drink well relatively early for Pontet Canet. If the wine continues developing well, and it should, the wine should go up a Pt or so. 95-97 Pts
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Sweeter caramel nose, soft tannins, good body and length. Surprisingly approachable. Excellent if you got 1st tranche, but 2nd tranche prices take it out of the good value for the quality bracket.
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tasted twice. One at shortly after opening and at 2+ hours later. Goods: Nice soft grainy texture Refined structure Cedar, sexy body most finesse Pontet so far.
Bad: Flavor isn't 2010, but hey... Finish fairly short, at least after a long air time. Had tasted twice to confirm since the first impression was so good.
Verdict: Impressive all the way but quick drop at the end. Just a bit short of perfection.
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Intriguingly Pauillac #Bdx15 (Bordeaux, actually tasted during en primeur week): Quite aromatic, somewhat floral, with sweet red fruit and meadow like freshness. The palate displayed excellent sap, and juiciness, but there is a tannic edge here that affirms an excellent structure. Yet on the palate, one gets more prominent red fruit aspects as opposed to black fruit, even a cranberry/raspberry coulis aspect. An excellent 2015, in that it combines the charming freshness (again, 1985) with fine structure, perhaps akin to 2005. Bravo! 93-95
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Good nose here. Rich, deep and dark berried fruit. Mineral edge; very satisfying flavour and dark fruit complexity. Rich, dense, delicious. Long. Great build - should be ageworthy.
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With the color of ruby so intense it’s nigh on purple, this rich, luxurious, full-bodied wine is brimming with blackberries, cassis, licorice, and dark cherries with a hint of cocoa in the end note. This wine is all about the elegant, well-developed purity of fruit poised with the velvety tannins to produce a fresh, prolonged, fruit-filled, polished finish. The wine will be aged in a unique combination of 50% new, French oak barrels, 35% amphora and 15% in tank. Another wine in a great string of vintages for Pontet Canet, Alfred Tesseron and Melanie Tesseron are clearly on a roll here! 95-97 Pts
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4/13/2024 - jfaulk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Extremely decadent & refined
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4/6/2024 - BordeauxOne Likes this wine: 96 Points
Tasted at a Commanderie de Bordeaux Tasting. Still young but approachable. Will drink for several decades. Great palate. nose still young, just right with duck cassoulet.
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3/17/2024 - Motz wrote: 97 Points
Drank over two days, alongside the same vintage Domaine de Chevalier.
This has not softened as much as the DdC. Rather, it has retained its original, velvet gloved iron fist character. Delightful fruit, high-order expression of (Pauillac) place, exceptional structure and grip. The finish reveals no conception of quit.
My preference over the DdC, on the strength of its rusticity. Tanninphobes might want to give this a wide berth through 2035. Indeed, even the tannin initiated might find holding bottles through 2030 rewarding. 97-98.
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3/16/2024 - Sun_Ship Likes this wine: 95 Points
The intoxicating nose wafts out of the glass with abundant notes of floral dark fruits - dark raspberry, black rose, blueberry pastille, blackberry coulis, parma violets, with suggestions of graphite, incense, dusty lavender and hot crushed rocks. Ultra-fine, sleek, polished tannins, with a medium weight, sweet-toned mouthfeel - youthful, but lovely already without decant. The finish is long, silky and airy, with a peppery bite and firm, grainy tannins. With ribeye and garlic rosemary potatoes.
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2/28/2024 - ilvineyard Likes this wine: 85 Points
While I liked the bottle, it was not ready. Still very tannic. Decanted for 2 hours, poured it back into the bottle and enjoyed it at a local restaurant.
A bit disappointed, but patience is a virtue - so I'll wait.
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2/24/2024 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 96 Points
Cassis, blackberries, tobacco, liquid rock and flower shop. Like many ‘15s, this is ready and open. Yet, it will last and be an engaging study for at least another two decades. Decanted for an hour, the body is full and the microfiber tannins just caress. The finish sails on for some time. A plush middle palate and redolent. This is a baby ‘09. Drink now - 2040.
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1/30/2024 - solarpivot Likes this wine: 94 Points
From 375ml, decanted and swirled vigorously, started drinking right away.
Beautiful velvet purple color.
Initially some off putting CatP, blew off very quickly but came back a little bit. First half glass had remarkable graphite notes, really pleasant, reminded me of Lafite. Strong cassis, velvety but not fuzzy soft. Elegant, round, still very tannic.
Second half glass aerated for an hour, strong cassis, notes of incense a tiny bit of spice, hints of an elegant aristrocratic countess' perfume.
Juicy, fruity, soft, round, still a little chewy on the tannins even an hour and a half in. Nose isn't explosive but it's still extremely intoxicating. Finish is juicy and still very primary fruit.
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1/15/2024 - jmcmchi Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted two hours, served (very) cool
Nose a bit closed. Bright acidity. On palate blackberry and cloves
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1/1/2024 - tmoritz1 wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for an hour, and then enjoyed the wine through dinner. It opened up very well with a taste of dark fruits with a notice of plum.Smooth and well blended.
.
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12/31/2023 - SirJ Likes this wine: 95 Points
During New Year's Eve, the following wines were drunk, for starters Red beet carpaccio;
2019 Bizkaiko Txakolina XX Edition Limited.
100% Hondarrabi Zuri
2021 Kutch Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
100% Pinot Noir
For main course, whole Entrecôte (on low heat 150 °C), hazelnut potatoes and pepper sauce;
Chateau Pontet Canet 2015
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot.
For starters, it was very interesting to put a white and a red wine against each other. Everyone around the table thought both worked very well. 2019 Bizkaiko Txakolina showed straw yellow color, orange, herbs, a slightly buttery salty note, complex with good length. Although I myself thought the Kutch PN was fantastic with the food, sublime fruit, well balanced and a nice finish.
With the main course both wines were fantastic, what wines. Pontet Canet 2015 is, of course, young, and despite 4 hours in the carafe, the wine felt a little restrained to begin with. But after another 1 hour, this wine grew and grew, cassis and minerality that only good Bordeaux can exhibit. The Ridge Cabernet was just as good, and had an additional dimension of forest floor, leather, tobacco and blackcurrant, but also plum, but also red cherry. Classic Santa Cruz Mountain fruit, despite its 16 years, the wine exhibits a fantastic acidity. Glad I have a bottle left of the 2007.
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12/31/2023 - mukden wrote: 90 Points
Ok too young. Opened because it was to hand in what passes as the cellar. Too young but lots of potential there, an opaque dense purple.
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11/23/2023 - Shugs_Claret wrote:
Closed nose. Dark fruit. Grippy tannins. Good stuffings for a decade+ from now.
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11/16/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful dark ruby color under light. Insanely intense bouquet of blackberries with, bizarrely, artificial banana on the nose with a touch of black olive. Really hard to describe, mind-blowingly intense tannins with mildly sweet blackberries and mulberries, slightly sweet black olive juice (not disgusting even though it sounds like it), and berry briar. Long tannic berry finish . This has decades ahead of it. Delicious.
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11/5/2023 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 93 Points
Red brown rim. Nutmeg, blackcurrant, dark red cherries, blackberry and some aged characteristics like mushroom and soy sauce. Seems prematurely aged compared to the bottle I had last year which was young and scored 96. Maybe just bottle variation. NS
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11/2/2023 - Jake Barnes wrote: flawed
From a bottle purchased at retail. Although enjoyable for what it was, this bottle was clearly not correct. An eight-year-old Pontet Canet should not be garnet colored and showing this level of mushrooms and decaying leaves. A very pretty nose, but also very wrong at this age. Except for the tannins, which belied the bottle’s youth, everything else spoke of a much older wine. Served blind, the nose and appearance would have led me to say this was eighteen to twenty years old. No score. 13.5% ABV.
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10/27/2023 - yaanik wrote: 92 Points
There's complexity and concentration -- greatness underneath that is unfortunately a bit sullied by a brettiness that overstays its welcome for Pontet (which in 2009 and 2010 was notable for their precision, and was among the best wine I've ever tasted).
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10/20/2023 - castle.rob@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark purple
Nose of plum, oak, lots of gravel, vanilla, and floral notes
Full-bodied wine with un-ripened fruit, blackberries and mint. Flavor evolves with a bit more sweetness after decanting.
This wine might benefit from a bit more age. Though pleasant, the un-ripened fruit felt a little out of place after decanting.
Strong acidity and smooth tannins 2023 Wine week with Tressa
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10/8/2023 - Zinlady Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very intense. Great with steak. Dark. Good finish
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9/28/2023 - luHar1423 Likes this wine: 95 Points
What the heck has Tesseron done at Pontet-Canet? In general, 2015 Bordeaux is too young for me, but this Pontet was a dream.
This 2015 beauty is ready and looks ahead a looong shelf life at the same time. Everything you expect from a very good Pontet can be found within this vintage. Congratulations, Monsieur Tesseron!!!
PnP and the wine was there dancing the tango in your mouth - erotic, fiery, proud, and emotional - what an experience.
Will go for some Pontet 2015 bargain hunting - but shhhh, let the price settle and others hunt for other vintages;-)
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9/9/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Rather darn good.
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8/12/2023 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
My 2nd of these - last one I had was over five years ago, and this is still so hard to rate. Bottle from Costco, this again felt quite muted, light to medium bodied, not so concentrated, a bit awkward. I'll assume it's just not ready, but that might be a generous impression. I tend to struggle with this producer - the only notable exceptions were '09 and '07 which were fantastic. Just had half the bottle on night #1, so might be better on 2nd showing..
Better on the 2nd day - more alive and electric, still very light-bodied and a bit muted though. The absence of weight here is so different to the style of some other Pauillacs like GPL and Lynch Bages.
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7/30/2023 - Deyue Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark ruby red with light purple edge. Complex noses highlighted by cassis, raspberry, wood and flowers, very expressive. A little compact on the palate at the beginning with restrained power; competely impressed by the beautiful acidity shortly after, with a fresh, juicy and polished mouthfeel. The finish is slightly tannic but elegant. Effortless to drink now but undoubtedly years to go reaching its peak.
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7/29/2023 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 96 Points
Slow OX in bottle for 3 hrs. nice dark color, cherry en dark fruit tones ion nose and pallet. full body with long finish nice balance with balance with tanines. diifferent layers with some spice. needs a littel more development.
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7/16/2023 - Gdubya Likes this wine:
3rd of a six pack. Coravin pour on day one. Decantered the remainder on day 2. Terrific nose, some cassis and blackberry. Was probably better on day one, but this felt a bit more shut down than previous bottles. Possibly needed more air, but will leave the stash alone for a while now. Around 93+ on this showing
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7/1/2023 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 97 Points
1st of 12. Truly amazing wine. The nose has lovely blackberry fruit, sweet tobacco, graphite, and elegant cedar. The palate has utterly delicious, fresh fruit, with a hint of beautiful cedar - the finish is endless. It's medium bodied and elegant, with fine, but very present tannins. This wine presents as incredibly youthful and will live for a very long time.
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5/10/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Solid wine, decanted 3 hours by our host, Agelvis. Medium translucent purple in the glass, it shimmers. Mushroom, leather, lead pencil, black cherry/blackberry on the nose. A very clean cherry fruit on the palate, great precision and balance to this wine. It may be a tad linear at the present time but it's very well structured and put together. The more '15s I have the more I get about the differences in the Bdx '15/'16 vintages. This one very much has a '15 Bdx feel to it. I loved this wine and it'll probably get to 97 for me in 5 more years but it's a very good drink now for those Cali people who value a little more restraint to their Cabs rather than the big over the top fruit bombs. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of fruit here but it's restrained and classy. Thanks for opening Ag!
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5/9/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
Three hour decant. Very deep dark ruby magenta color. Leather, black cherry, graphite, raspberry, and subtle bacon fat and sarsaparilla. Super smooth, dry, and slightly astringent palate. Full, plush tannins on the longish finish.
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4/30/2023 - georgeohr wrote:
Pretty open and drinking well now. Ready when opened. It was an enjoyable bottle for a mid level restaurant purchase.
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4/29/2023 - Harfouch Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very pure. Upon the first whiff, the floral notes are captivating and are harmoniously complemented by the rich aroma of blue and black fruits.
On the palate, the wine is nothing short of impeccable, with a tantalizing mix of blackberry and tobacco flavors that showcase the complexity and depth of this vintage. The finish is impressively long, allowing the taste to linger on the tongue, teasing out the wine's subtleties and nuances.
The acidity in this wine is well-balanced, providing a perfect counterpoint to the rich fruit flavors. The result is a wine that boasts a velvety texture and a complex, layered taste that is sure to please the most discerning of palates.
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4/25/2023 - BrionHammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
No decant. Lovely young PC. Classic bdx with Iron, leather and tobacco. Hint of oak and good length. Much better now than the 2010 vintage IMO for now
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4/21/2023 - Zinlady Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love this wine So big. Some tar and smoke. Had with Julia Child’s rack of lamb. Perfect match. Great nose Nice finish. Had let it breathe in decanter for 3 hours Lots of sediment
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4/13/2023 - wineappreciation wrote: 93 Points
Cigar box, leather, graphite, notes of blackberry; slightly muted but classic nose; smooth and elegant but full, very long, succulent, excellent now, and excellent potential
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3/12/2023 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pontet-Pym Rae Winemaker’s Dinner (Mathilde/K&L SF). This wine brings out 2 conflicting impulses in sfwl: not reviewing wines from tastings/winemaker dinners (too many wines/too little time/too small pours/not enough, or any, chances to see how it pairs/uncertainty about aeration protocols, etc.) vs. wading into discussions where CT friends have come to different conclusions. This wine was additionally interesting since I *loved* the ‘16, am generally but not absolutely skeptical about BDX (a whole other conversation covered in other notes), especially young—and make no mistake, for me this is young. This was the first PC, served with the opening course of a creamy gnocchi (what’s a French bistro doing serving this definitive dish from the Land of my beloved Boot? That’s a different conversation.) after the ‘18 Pym Rae (which I’ve reviewed) and a Roederer 242 (which I haven’t), so my tasting facilities were still quite keen. On the nose and palate, classic and fairly intense Bordelaisian funk, earthy minerality, black cherries, mixed black berries, cassis, black currants, a faint red fruit note, pencil shavings and light notes of tobacco and leather. Medium-medium+ tannins and acidity, already balanced and mostly integrated. VG++ complexity, VG+ persistence and intensity. Ok, so I’m in disagreement with CT friends LioF and csimm: this wine, as it appeared before me, was very much good to go. Per the above, I don’t know the aeration ablutions other than that it had spent “hours” in a decanter, but this was well-balanced, no sharp edges from the moment I first sipped it (it was consumed over 15 minutes or so). The Pontets fascinate relative to the better-liked by me, although ridiculously more expensive, PRs, as all are all over the map, not just in quality, to my palate, but in characteristics. The ‘16, which wasn’t poured but I enjoyed so much 5 months ago, could have easily passed for Napa, with opulent fruit, at least as much as the PRs, and ample power. The fruit is fine here, but this is more what I’d think of classic BDX, with funky-earthy notes at least holding it to a stalemate, producing a more elegant, subtle wine, with the underlying structure working really well with the creaminess of the gnocchi. Even if this wasn’t the ‘16, it was still more vibrant than any of the other 3 PCs: the ‘17 (NR, dead or just balled up), the ‘06 (91-92, kinda boring, what I think of as a fairly typical, indistinct BDX) and the ‘94 (93-94, sophisticated and lovely but slightly past peak). It’s definitely worth opening now if you can cajole it (when was the last time you heard me say open something now that Liof suggests waiting 3-4 years for?) the way my hosts did last night, but if you have multiple bottles, it will certainly be interesting to track over the next 10-15 years (although CT’s 2043 window seems optimistic, for this wine and perhaps for me). At around the $125 I’m seeing this for on WS, this may well be something I’ll pick up. 94-95+
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2/24/2023 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 91 Points
From 375. No notes. Wine comes off as just starting to come off it’s sleepy/nap time Vs fully open for Business. Wondeful Bordeaux nose with so much going on but palate wouldn’t reveal more than the surface. Hold for 3-5 more years hoping for the wine to unfurl in the coming years .
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1/27/2023 - garwin Likes this wine:
Drank at Heritage Steak & Whiskey. Woodmere, Ohio. December 2023.
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12/24/2022 - Kozakofthewest Likes this wine: 92 Points
Its good but not as good as I wanted to be. Decanted for 4 hours its a good wine but not excellent and that what I expected. Don't see it getting better but will leave the rest of my bottles for another 4+ years to see if it gets better. This one is going to be a long game. Similar feelings about 16.
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12/10/2022 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clearly still a young wine which I expect to improve. Decanted for 5-6 hours. I don't regret opening the bottle......will be interesting to track its evolution. It is a classic deep/dark Pauillac.
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12/10/2022 - HOS wrote: 96 Points
2 hour decant. Elegant , silky smooth , dark berries, herbs. Everything you look for in a great Bordeaux. First bottle of a case. Definite upside with time.
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11/25/2022 - EricU Likes this wine: 94 Points
6 hrs decanting. Pencil shavings. Casis. Balanced wine. Delicate and nuanced after long decant. Spice notes come out. Great pairing w grilled steak.
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11/22/2022 - IvanLi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Next to the 2014 Ducru-Beaucaillou this drinks like a younger brother.
Simpler, more opulent, more black fruits and sweet oak. Less structured and layered, shorter finish. Can certainly improve with age, but no higher than the 95 mark.
94 now, 95 in the future. Can drink now just fine.
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11/18/2022 - Patrick_from_champagne Likes this wine: 94 Points
nicely red ruby color
the nose is very open and expressive, it's typical of the left bank
notes of cassis, red fruits, precious wood, cigar, vanilla,
the mouth has an amazing texture (feeling like the wine was perhaps 5 to 10 years older), silky tannins, a good acidity, full body
perhaps a little lake of lenght for a wine of its pedigree
Excellent
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11/7/2022 - kostaslonis wrote:
Trinity Wines tasting (Stavros Niarchos): Big, bold, spicy, a touch gamey, bretty, iodine, black cherries and currants, licorice, earthy
Palate really dense, some bretty notes, tight tannins, really youthful, almost painfully so, med to full body, med finish
give it a lot of time
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11/1/2022 - Irish_Wine wrote: 96 Points
Incredible rich nose with lovely, well defined blackcurrant, black plum, blackberry, cedar, mint, graphite, sweet spices.
Incredible concentration on the palate. Amazing finish.
*** Tasted as part of a walkaround Bordeaux tasting. Not full notes ***
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9/29/2022 - jon.siracusa Likes this wine: 96 Points
5 hour decant.
Bouquet is dreamy.
Profile is mellow and subdued. The fruit is there, and oh, is it delicious. The tannins gently wrap around the complex fruit ball.
This wine requires no accompaniment. No coaxing.
Just excellent Bordeaux that rewards the patient home cellar manager.
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9/28/2022 - Sean Tay wrote: 94 Points
Pronounced nose intensity with notes of black fruits, black currant, cassis, spices, pencil, vanilla. Medium+ acidity and medium+ tannin. Tannin is polished and velvety. Decanting it >3 hours will help soften the tannin.
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9/22/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
So off the cork pull that smells amazing. Powerful structured and amazing stuff.
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9/17/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
In perfect form right now, at the MAM 20th anniversary.
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9/4/2022 - Wine W-eye-z wrote:
After aerating for several hours, wine mellowed to some wonderful, rich flavors.
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7/30/2022 - Motz wrote: 97 Points
Five 2015 Classed Growths (Left Bank) Tasted Over Several Days: Tasted over three days, alongside the same vintage Lynch-Bages.
Riveting bouquet - shading to Margaux - of ripe berries, thick petal flowers, plum and berry compote, Crème de Cassis, berry liqueurs, potpourri, 'sweet' herbs, molasses, pipe tobacco, and gravel. As with previous bottles, the bouquet also shows Burgundy-like elements. In a word: ethereal!
Equal parts piercing and deep. Incredible saturation! Merlot shows prominently upfront, its suave velvet draping a deep purple core. Exceptional balance of fruit, terroir, structure, alcohol, and oak. It changes inflection throughout, consistently delivering Crème de Cassis and blueberry liqueur top notes.
Even better on the second and third days. It matched the Lynch-Bages in tension and lift, and delivered greater range and depth. Mint and eucalyptus essences dance offer titillating interplay with the crimson and purple berry notes. While hinting at Margaux in perfume, the middle to back transitions leaves no doubt as to its Pauillac provenance.
A next level offering! Truly profound! Likely to peak after 2040, probably around 2045. Drink by 2050 or so.
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7/24/2022 - Zinlady Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big. Dark heavy bodied beautiful legs smoky, tar, earthy Had with roast lamb
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7/9/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
Deeply colored, initially you notice Cuban cigars, eucalyptus, coffee bean, flowers, blackberries, and cassis. On the palate, the wine is rich, plush, and polished with an opulence to the texture. The fruit is packed and stacked with wave after wave of mouth-coating fruits that paint every nook and cranny of your palate. There is fabulous sweetness, lift, and depth. There is no touch of heat. Even with all of this power, the wine is balanced. Completely effortless to drink, this is already sublime in your glass. But, give it a few more years in the cellar and it is only going to get better and better. An interesting point, 2015 marks the first vintage without a second wine, allowing you to experience the totality of what the entire 81-hectare vineyard produced. The wine blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, 13.5% ABV. Drink from 2025-2060.
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7/2/2022 - Iti Bun-an Likes this wine: 98 Points
I decanted Ch Pontet Canet 2015 slowly from the bottle (not decanter) for 7hrs. It was smooth, stunning & powerful. Goes on for minutes, best when you pair it with Steak. Highly recommended superb vintage!
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6/26/2022 - grapenomad wrote: 91 Points
Deep ruby red in the glass. Decanted, has a good amount of sediment. What strikes first is polished new oak, then is followed by red berry fruit (strawberry, raspberry), plum, dried tobacco, vanilla and some dried herb whiffs. Big & broad but has this very fine touch of elegance strung through it which only the best Pauillac can possess. Tannins are still quite tight, but they're not overpowering the acidity or alcohol. Everything will be synced together in the upcoming years, this is just cracking open its drinking window.
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5/13/2022 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 96 Points
Ink black in the glass with ruby rim consistent with a 7 yr old classed growth left bank Bordeaux red. The nose is closed until after 25 minutes breathing in the decanter. All primary and secondary aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, blackberry, dark cherries, charcoal, camphor, hints of olives and pencil shavings. No aged aromas. The palate is full bodied with firm acid and mouth coating tannins. Elegant and balanced. Like the 2009 Pontet. Same personality as neighbour Mouton-extroverted and masculine. This bottle is similarly open as another Pontet 2015 I tasted last year. However, I tasted one a few months ago that seemed shut down. The wine fades after 1 hour and 20 mins in the decanter. Drunk at 16 deg C. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. Estimated drinking window 2030-2075. NS
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5/11/2022 - Gdubya Likes this wine: 94 Points
Addendum to my note from 2 years ago. No, I didn’t wait 5 years, but a special occasion called for an opening. Well, it’s in a much better space now. Lost much of its cherry ripe signature. Much more approachable (c2h decant). Outperformed the PCL’15 I had a few weeks ago. 94-95+
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5/6/2022 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.
Fruity nose with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.
Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, light vanilla, earth, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates and tobacco leaf.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 7 year old, from the great 2015 vintage, is drinking very nice right now.
This Fifth growth Bordeaux is showing nice complexity, with a soft and elegant mouthfeel.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 3 hours in the decanter.
Young, but already delicious, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years.
Robert Parker 97 points.
Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.
A Delicious wine that drank better than the 1996 I had 4 years ago.
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 16 months.
13.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$130.
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4/9/2022 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 94 Points
A lot of fruits on the nose after 4 hours in the decanter. Very fragrant as well, very balanced on the palate. Dare I say this is the style of high end Napa.
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3/24/2022 - pcfordham11 Likes this wine: 94 Points
ECCC Bordeaux tasting event; appx 65% CS, 30% merlot, 4% cab franc and 1% PTV; nose was crazy complex and fun to explore - had a bit of funk in it which was nice to find after some consistent Bordeaux noses during the tasting; excellent wine with multiple layers of black and red fruit that was balanced with acidity and somewhat chewy tannins; bought two bottles - looking forward to drinking over time and comparing with the 2015 Lynch Bages bought as well
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3/17/2022 - 87tellub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Half glass tasting pour, unsure how the bottle was prepared. Gorgous nose, you just want to keep smelling it. Very complex. Palate is silky; very young pure fruit great concentration, but a bit harsh at this early stage.
This stood out the most when compared to Rauzan-Segla, Smith Haut Lafitte and Troplong Mondot of the same vintage.
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12/31/2021 - happy712 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decant 6 hours to begin drinking, 8-10 hours would be better. Exquisite fruit blast on nose. Vegetal notes mixed in with bold grape and hint of funk. Has a bit of American Cabernet Sauvignon.
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12/19/2021 - Psdycp wrote: 94 Points
Profound ripe black fruits, toasted spices, fresh fennel, savoury smoked meat, spice box and river stones. Palate is intense, rich and savoury. Medium-plus structure with fine tannins. Most of the fine elements are hidden behind the velvety texture for now. Transition to finish is somewhat abrupt. Needs at least 3 hours or more in the decanter. Cannot rush this, it needs time for the wine to gather itself and show its complexity and balance. I suggest to wait for at least 3 more years before approaching it. 94-96 pts.
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12/12/2021 - Canoehead Likes this wine:
2015 Meritage & Bordeaux Reds; 12/12/2021-12/13/2021 (Canoehead Central): Double decanted for 1.5 hours. Dark core of purple with crimson rim. Bit of a funky nose - not corked but more like dusty Brett. On this point alone many guessed in the blind tasting this was Italian with that aroma. Fruit was leaning to tertiary with a port profile of steeped, macerated fruit. Long finish. Good quality. Very good structure. Open next bottle in 2023.
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10/6/2021 - SpitzNV Likes this wine: 93 Points
Too young. Revisit in 5+ years.
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8/22/2021 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine appears to be shutting down after 6 years. It was far more open when I tasted it last year. I would wait 5 years to try it again. In its closed state its character is more St Estephe but at 90 minutes post decantering it revealed its true Pauillac nature more. Mauve edge opaque core. Closed nose. Nutmeg cigar box blueberries cherries wet earth dirty water roses. Well balanced. Good length. Firm tannins. Riedel Bordeaux glasses. 16 deg C best around 45 minutes post decantering. Suggested drinking window 2030-2080. NS
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8/14/2021 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slow ox for one hour. This is surprisingly open for business. Pretty floral nose with plum and spice notes. The wine is medium bodied, quite elegant, pure and precise. This is quite different than many other pontet canet’s I have tasted. What it lacks in power and concentration it makes up for in elegance and sophistication.
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7/4/2021 - Canoehead Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted for two hours and took to a tasting with DV. Nice tinge of iodine colour in the legs. Pronounced aromatics throughout the initial decant but the palate was mostly closed off with tannins and acid battling it out. However, four plus hours in this really started to live up to its nose. Slate, menthol and cherry preserves on the nose and then more layers of dark red fruits, even fig jam on the tongue. The acid and the tannins were well matched with grilled burgers with Stilton and caramelized shallot jam. Solid wine with great potential. My wife says the name is an anagram for "potent" which implies both its potential and its power. Looking forward to seeing how other bottles perform (and probably increase my rating) but will probably wait until 2023 for the next opening.
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7/4/2021 - darrenv Likes this wine: 93 Points
Plum, cherry, big nose, fine grippy tannins indicate further cellaring required. Cherry and mineral/wet stone notes on the palate. Complex wine that will reward generously in a decade. Upside only and easily a 95 in ten years. Thanks Canoehead for bringing this! Looking forward to another in many years from now.
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4/20/2021 - AjitK wrote: 93 Points
TCWC tasting along with Pym-Rae 2016: still very young and while enjoyable, unmemorable because it is 10 years (at least) from peak period. The nose is absolutely gorgeous and classic Bordeaux - earthy notes, cassis, dark fruit, licorice, and just a touch of vanilla from the new oak. On the palette, full bodied richness with some black fruit and slightly vegetal (in a welcome way) secondary notes. Good concentration, massive tannin. Still harsh but great potential when it comes into balance and the tannins soften. Showed better fruit contrasted with some savory blue Stilton.
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4/15/2021 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Pontet & Pym Rae with TCWC (Zoom): A 4oz sample poured off from its original bottle two days earlier, allowed to breathe in the glass an hour before the tasting began. Deep crimson garnet color. Aromas of black currant and earth, with hints of saddle leather, licorice and violet underneath. Full-bodied and tannic, with flavors of black fruit and spice. With additional time in the glass notes of cedar and something a bit herbal- mint perhaps- emerge. Adds tobacco and mineral nuances as well. Tannins have a slightly chalky feel, and there’s good underlying acidity. An excellent showing for this wine, and one to add to the cellar and hold until 2030+.
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4/15/2021 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 95 Points
TCWC Tasting with Pym Rae. Nose of dark fruit and cedar. On the palate, dark fruit, plum, cassis, cigar box. This wine imparts a freshness, perhaps from the acidity that is wonderful. Firm tannins. Definitely will get better with age.
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1/5/2021 - Clube Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not as good as the 2010 but better than 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Need a bit more time to age.
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12/28/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
The stuffing is all there for a supremely elegant wine but this was still tight, even given a long slow 9 hour opening window. Hold.
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11/21/2020 - MikeCW wrote: 89 Points
The wine was spectacularly oaked. Not sure what else to say other than it tasted quite like expensive oak, much of it new. Very velvety. From a 375ml. Opened before its time. Would not open another one for 10 years.
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11/6/2020 - _Mike_Wine_ wrote: 91 Points
SWW - Bordeaux (On-line): Strong nose with dark fruits but as well as some mature wines notes, very interesting. Well built with a superb long finish, a nice savory addition with is not so common for Bordeaux.
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9/28/2020 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 96 Points
I tasted the 2009 at roughly the same age and this is a clone. The 2009 over the few years from that tasting appeared to shut down and a tasting this year at 11 years old revealed it still was stubbornly so. I expect the 2015 will do the same. If you only have a few bottles,I would either enjoy it over the next couple of years or wait till 2030.
The wine has an opaque black core with a ruby perimeter and mauve edges. It smells of greatness. Masculine. Blueberries, ripe black cherries, layers of spice, blackcurrant and cigar box. The palate is viscous and powerful but with balance. The fruit is ripe and intense.It has a firm tannic structure. The length is eternal.
Drunk from Riedel Bordeaux glasses. 16-18 degrees C. Best after 45 minutes in the decanter. Estimated drinking window 2030-2080. Declaration of interest: I have 6 bottles. NS
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8/9/2020 - Hazeo wrote: 94 Points
Pop and poured, and was ready to go. My first 2015 that doesn’t seem shut down at all, unlike a Malescot I had a few months ago. Amazing purity and density, smooth and refined. A tad on the sweet side and the layers of secondary flavors are subtle at the moment, but no doubt will improve significantly in a decade!
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7/23/2020 - Cailles wrote: 96 Points
Bordeaux 2015 - 5 Years On - Many Top Shots: All 12 reds tasted blind. I thought that many of these 2015s might be in a sleepy phase but that‘s not the case. The large majority of the wines are open and singing. Expressive, ripe but seldom too ripe (probably Palmer & VCC only), very layered, focused, smooth tannin structure and with a good freshness. The complete package and not one wine with noticeable alcohol. These 2015s are more exuberant than the 2016s but still full of elegance and finesse. Group Top 5: 1) Cheval Blanc, 2) Haut Brion, 3) Yquem, 4) Palmer, 5) Margaux with generally very high scores (on average 96.9 for the group, 95.8 for me) for this group of - to be fair - mostly superstar wines.
TN: Being served as the last wine in a tasting with so many amazing wines, this Pontet Canet surprised positively. Don’t let you fool by the 10th rank out of 13 wines. It is so, so Pauillac, so classic with pure cassis, pure dark fruit, tobacco, lots of graphite but not missing that extra kick and sweetness on the palate to make it extremely inviting and charming at the same time. To close the gap to the very best wines it would have probably needed just a tad more concentration and just a little bit more complexity. Great wine.
Decanting: Not decanted. Good from the go but I guess one or the other hour would have improved the experience further.
Group rank: 10 out of 13 wines
Group score: 96.1
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7/16/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2015 horizontal - Part 1 (Stüssihof, Zurich): Part 1 of a Bordeaux 2015 horizontal privately organized among 7 fellow wine enthusiasts. We were amazed by the overall accessibility of the 2015 with only 1 out of 13 wines closed. Cheval Blanc was both my favourite and the group's wine of the night. All wines were decanted at the individual's discretion which ranged from slow ox overnight to 6-7h decants. In general I would recommend a proper 2h decant (or more) if you want to pop a 2015 now. List of wines in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Very ripe, blueberry fruit, fruit tart, a bit of tobacco, some animal and meaty notes. Fruit became sweeter and more red over time. Elegant, soft yet fairly muscular palate. This is straight forward and linear and probably best described as "classic". Consistent impression like 2 years ago. Close to but maybe not quite at the level of the 2016.
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7/1/2020 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened for 3 hours. Color is deep red/purple. On the nose cassis, blackberry essence and some spice notes. On the palate cassis, plum , blackberries and violets. Massive tannins. This wine is fabulous but needs time. Way to young to drink. I think needs at least 5 more years.
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3/21/2020 - Gdubya Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decantered at 3pm. Drank over 2-5 hours later.
Big whack of cherry on the nose. A bit missing from the mid palate. Slightly drying tannins. Nice, but not spectacular. Probably needed a longer decant. 92+
Note to self. Don’t try another bottle until 2025
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3/2/2020 - csimm wrote: 91 Points
Crisp sour cherry, cranberry, purple plum skin, limestone, raspberry seeds, and some citrus. Rides crunchy, high, and red, with a puckering acidity that didn’t let up at all over three hours of decanted air. Stayed in the upper register mid-palate, finishing linear and bitter with more bracing acidity. A bit of a teeth-clattering experience. Threw off a ton of sediment.
This behaves more like a cranberry juice cocktail in its current state. In desperate need of 10-15 years of slumber. 90-91+? points.
The 2014 was unconvincing as a wine to follow. This 2015 hasn’t made that much clearer for me. I can recognize its potential in one sense, but I’m not sure how folks are getting so much enjoyment out of this right now. I like me some acid and all, but this enamel-stripping lacquer varnished-off a solid layer of taste buds on the ‘ol palate. Yikes.
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1/14/2020 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose was intense, showing dark, crushed red berries and exotic spices, haunting, dark purple florals, and sweet dusty minerals. On the palate, I found soft, enveloping textures ushering in red and wild berry fruit, with brisk, moutherwating acids, and sweet minerality as tannins saturated, mounting with each sip, showing heroic structure over dried, grippy red fruits and spices throughout the long, cheek puckering finish.
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12/7/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 96 Points
The 2015 Pontet Canet shows tremendous promise. As intense and saturating as the blueberry, wildflower, mineral, fresh leather nose is, it’s also so elegant and light on its feet. Beautiful presence and balance on the palate, full bodied with good acidity and no lack of structure, yet the tannins aren’t aggressive and almost creep up on you. Wonderful pencil and cassis finish. Something special is happening at Pontet Canet. 95-96
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11/30/2019 - rashcar Likes this wine: 96 Points
Two hours of decanting into my glass and watch it develop for the next two hours. Mainly it's a balanced juice with a good feel in the glass and a nose of enter the woods and smell the wood and the terrain. The taste coats your mouth with satisfaction due to the weight and balance. Successful attempt.
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10/26/2019 - Motz wrote: 97 Points
Tasted over two days, from the same bottle coravined in November '18 and June '19.
Special days call for special wines, and this bottle called to me. Upon pulling the cork, the wine sported a seductively feminine bouquet of purple and black berries, red and purple flowers, berry liqueurs, and much other goodness...some of which transcended the known world. Put differently, the bouquet offered Heavenly essences.
The wine needed about an hour to breathe before featuring all the same elements as the bouquet. The attack was at once subtle and tart. The pronounced Crème de Mûre and Crème de Cassis notes, which showed at the middle and back, were particularly knee-weakening, as was the soul-soothing textural weight. Considerable powdery tannins graced the back and finish, which had no conception of 'quit'.
Overall, it seemed the wine stands at the threshold of a long closed down slumber. As such, I plan to leave my bottles alone for several years...if, indeed, such a feat is possible.
A unique vintage of Pontet-Canet, my consistent Left Bank preference over all others not named Latour. The essence of the 2015 Left Bank vintage lies within this superb offering. Seek it out. 97-98.
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10/12/2019 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
Pours a transparent ruby with an open bouquet. This house is showing a different style than virtually any other 2015 Left bank I’ve tried. Closest to Dom de Chevalier, but it’s even a touch more elegant. Christmas spice and tart cranberry but still showing red currant and cherry Cabernet character. Finish is clipped a little by the firm acidity. I’m glad to hold a couple for the sake of diversity as it is not at all what I was expecting.
Burgundy lovers will be absolutely floored when they try this wine in 15 years.
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8/31/2019 - Marcosuru wrote: 97 Points
Superb, as good as it gets. It goes fast, sip by sip. Elegant, round, long, full of fruit. If you want to try it before it closes it is the time. Delicious!
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8/14/2019 - GQG Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decant for at least 4 hours and be rewarded with early access to delicious and elegant black currants, tobacco, fine tannins, and a lifted, lengthy finish. Power, fruit, structure, and velvety mouth-feel all come together after 6 hours, though your early access pass doesn't get you the complexity that'll be coming in the years ahead. If you have several bottles, it's no crime to pop one open now and check it out.
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7/7/2019 - vintage1949 wrote: 95 Points
Upon opening one is greeted with a very fresh nose that gushes from the glass. Black and red fruits interplay with hints of chocolate and violets. After eight hours of breathing in the decanter a touch of raspberry is also present.
Red and black berries slide across the palate with acidity holding everything in check. Medium to full bodied the flavors hold together in a dance with tannins that allows the wine to carry through to a long finish.
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6/16/2019 - Motz wrote: 97 Points
Pontet-Canet '14 - '16 vertical.
Pontet-Canet consistently expresses vintage as well or better than other Chateaux. Want to understand how the ripeness of 2003 affected the Left Bank? Look no further! Curious about the marked rusticity of 2006? Here you go! Questioning the notably understated quality of 2008? This (along with Leoville-Barton) is the grail!
The same holds true for 2015, which ranks among the most misunderstood Bordeaux vintages of my (wine) lifetime, a Burgundy aficionado's year. There are exceptions of course, notably Giscours and Rauzan-Segla, yet Pontet-Canet, along with Domaine de Chevalier, captured the elegance that this vintage offered.
An ethereal elixir, deceptively powerful, featuring high acid and powdery tannins. It will age forever...and then some. Worth tasting now, and better in time. 97-98.
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5/30/2019 - wineforth Likes this wine: 96 Points
There was only this vintage at the Lord's 2018 en primeur tasting. One of the best wines of the evening. Big blackcurrant nose. Huge amount of fruit and the tannins are restrained at first, asserting themselves later. Superb. Needs a good steak. Tempting to try a bottle now but I'll wait 4 or 5 years.
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5/28/2019 - chatters wrote:
Bordeaux 2018 - En Primeur in Australia (pyrmont wharf, sydney): <shrugs> smells roided. Monolithic. Ripe blackcurrant. Oak. Tight tannins. Juicy big black fruits. Long. Very long in fact. Obviously very good quality but not for quite a while.
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4/15/2019 - rashcar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great wine. Amazing texture and balance. This wine is so smooth with two hours in the decanter. Delicious too. Buy now as this will go up in price.
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4/4/2019 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:
A very good bottle of wine. Yes it is young but these Pontet Canet is very good young. Thick chewy tannin with earth and currant. People rave about 2015, this was good but got the doors smacked off of it compared to the 09 at around the same age after release. A good wine that may be great but nothing like the 09.
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3/11/2019 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 93 Points
2 hour decant. Infanticide for sure but this has the goods. Less flavors/complexity than I would have expected but that very well could have been to phase/early consumption HOWEVER the tannins/mouthfeel is fantastic- velvety, luscious ‘sweet’. Won’t touch for a while but very excited to what it can become. 92-93 now but 95+ realistic.
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2/23/2019 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine:
A matter of taste (The Dolder Grand, Zurich): *** Brief notes from wine fair, primary for my own memory ***
Glass: Stölzle Universal
Very round and soft. Very approachable. Classic CS fruit, spices. Very elegant, not fat, great potential. 93-95+
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2/3/2019 - bignbold Likes this wine: 97 Points
An absolutely beautiful wine. Rich, velvety, dense, perfect silky tannins, incredibly balanced. I recommend opening one up but saving your other bottles until at least 2025.
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1/27/2019 - BradA Likes this wine:
Clearly way too early to drink these. However, for the team- I pulled one. Really tight with some puckering tannins, a whole lotta cassis and some deep dark fruit.
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1/7/2019 - Thracian Alvarinho wrote: 89 Points
DOUBLE BLIND CHAMLIJA VERSUS BORDEAUX 2015 TASTING (CHAMLIJA WINERY): Ciceksi, mentol, meyve biraz geride kalmis, damakta biraz kuruluk ortaya cikiyor, islak toprak, beyaz biber gibi baharatimsi notlar, tannenler biraz kuru ve guclu, Brett???
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12/23/2018 - ieatwine Likes this wine: 98 Points
Awesome. Pop and pour dry at first. Tannins are tense but absolutely smooth. Opened up in 2 hours last glass amazing.
Lots of fruit and velvet msgic.
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12/9/2018 - Dale M wrote: 97 Points
Decanted 8 hrs. From the first sniff it was obvious this was going to be a special experience, and it delivered, big time. The aromatics were divine, and very open for business; it sports all the classic Left Bank traits – Cassis, raspberry, floral scents buffered nicely against some deep soil tones as this is a Cabernet nose at its absolute best. The magic here was simple, while the palate continued the exuberance of the nose, and tracked equal characteristics too, the weight was light as a feather. Seamless as a Cashmere sweater, I cannot ever recall drinking a red that I was so enthralled with its textural qualities. Sticks the landing to appease even the cranky French Judge with a late, impeccably timed acidic note that adds the perfect cleansing finish. At this level, $115 is a steal.
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12/1/2018 - Andre Brattland wrote: 95 Points
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.
Rich wine with a heavy dark fruit feeling, a little wet leather, autumn leaves and smoke. A little cedar too.
Rich and delicious wine. More delicate style with lots of fruit. Lovely sweet blackberries, juicy black currant, ripe blueberries, pencil tip, light tobacco and leather. Tighten graphite feeling on a long and appealing finish. Great wine.
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11/25/2018 - Motz wrote: 97 Points
Tasted on back-to-back days from Coravin, alongside several high quality Bordeaux and Burgundy. This stood out!
Unlike the same vintage Domaine de Chevalier, and a few other wines, it showed beautifully from the outset, the Coravin did not detract from its aromatics. The wine features a suave regality, leaning more toward Queen than King, especially by Pauillac standards. In this way, it evokes memories of Latour.
Captivating amalgam of red and purple berries, fresh, light, and deceptively powerful. In particular, the medium plus to high acid and intriguing loess-like tannins at once frame the wine beautifully and attest to its longevity, probably three decades or more. The wine also features enthralling, inflection changing textures, that put the mind to Burgundy.
My second favorite vintage of Pontet-Canet, after the 2010, and yet, I think this wine is prettier. Learning to enjoy Burgundy, courtesy of my good friend ES, makes me appreciate this wine all the more. Get Some! 96-98.
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11/10/2018 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich, layered and high energy, with some cedar and florality. Cassis-dominated, long finish.
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11/10/2018 - jgreco Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wine Advocate: Grand Walkabout Tasting (NYC): Classic 2015 vintage. This is drinking very well so early on.
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11/9/2018 - nwebstar Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is such a great wine - tasted Langtons Sydney 2015 Bordeaux event. 2nd top wine of night. Like velvet yet so beautifully powerful but with no over-extraction. An ethereal and engaging wine with clear Cab Sav structure and backbone. Beautiful cassis with leather, tobacco, chocolate and integrated spices. A transformative wine experience. Mouthfilling yet cleanly acidic and tight.
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10/27/2018 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Matter of taste (London): Lots of cedar and pencil shavings, sweet cassis aromas, glue. Deep and layered fruit. Again a bit more backward and tannic compared to the rest but with a beautiful cassis tinged end. A great success. 94-96p
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10/23/2018 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 96 Points
The 2015 Château Pontet-Canet is yet another success from this estate. This gorgeous blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot begins with inviting aromatics of dark red cherries and blackberries which are laced with spring flowers, graphite, tobacco and spicy nuances all soaring from the glass. On the palate this is full-bodied, layerd and beautifully structured with a lovely opulent texture and remarkable overall balance. While this is already showing a ton of early appeal, it also possesses all the signs for a long, graceful evolution ahead.
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10/19/2018 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): This is an unfair time to be trying this wine. First impression is it comes across as a bit simple, but I think it's really more that it's young. The red fruits are there and there's a tightness that is prob holding back other flavors. I would just give it time. I think it could be quite nice.
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9/20/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
"It's extremely young" notes Alfred. Between '15 and '16 we are going to need to use a cork screw many times.
In 1994 Alfred took over from his father and he was doing a green harvest. And we had a sizeable crop and when had done it in 1989 but far from the house so his father didn't see it. But in '94 his father finally noticed it. And was extremely upset and very unhappy. And he, and all the old vineyard hands were totally against it. But Alfred really believes that its good and the quality was really coming up. And let me do the wines from A to Z. And that happened but just barely, but then dad admited the wine was good, and so he did finance and then Alfred did the wines as he wanted.
And now they are very lucky because John Michel is always there with new ideas and the wines are always progressing.
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9/20/2018 - SommJourney05 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Deep ruby (bordering on black). Black currant, raspberry liqueur, and black cherry provide the opening salvo (all smelling quite ripe for a Bordeaux) while lead pencil shows classic Pauillac and lavender, pine, thyme, anise (pepper) and leather complete this mesmerizing aroma profile. Undoubtedly this wine is still a baby and needs at least 8 years to show its real potential, however, it all comes off quite nicely now in the glass with a very strong tannins and good acid. Excellent finish make for a world class wine.
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9/2/2018 - John McCabe wrote:
Very difficult to rate this at such an early stage of development. Tannins are surprisingly soft; i guess they are more unformed than absent. There is a slight oaky, marzipan tone. Seems like a delicate beauty but it’s infanticide to open it now. Will try and have patience before opening the next one.
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7/23/2018 - wineotim Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep ruby color, long legs, fresh berry aromas. Very high-toned flavor profile, huge acidity, mild graphite notes, sophisticated, elegant, powerful, with fine purity and balance. Long finish, but doesn't have the weight and depth of the '10, still a great effort.
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7/16/2018 - bajayngo wrote:
Wow, wow, wow, this wine blew me away. Easily the most acid driven bdx i've ever had. Now this wasn't high toned face ripping acids but the acid structure on this wine was so fresh and present it was amazing. Graphite, peppers, fresh tilled earth, a hint of cellar dust, leather, dark berries that were lush but not over ripe. So balanced in it's youth but was blow the doors off in 10 or 20yrs. Was amazing with steaks.
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6/4/2018 - mikita77 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Vinum BDX eve in Zurich. No notes taken. This blew us off. Along with Smith and Brane it was the top scorer.
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6/4/2018 - Roentgen Ray Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pure fruit that was vibrant and balanced.
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5/13/2018 - Motz wrote: 97 Points
Difficult to express the three day tasting experience with this transcendent wine. It is perhaps my favorite Pontet-Canet tasted to date, nudging out only the brooding 2010 vintage, which is probably a better wine, and will probably be longer-lived. By comparison, this wine conveys the suave and elegant side of Pauillac terroir. Indeed, in my admittedly limited two vintage experience, only Château Latour achieves this better than the present wine, and I can offer no higher praise. The bouquet, slightly reticent at first, offers the finest purities and satisfying harmonies of varieties and place. Superb quality Cabernet Sauvignon plays the leading role here, with Merlot adding the textural elegance for which it is often lauded, but in my experience, rarely achieves. The Petit Verdot is also particularly expressive, adding deep purple floral nuance. The mouthfeel imparts the impression of a still alpine pond, which ripples when a stone is thrown into it, and then returns to still. This abstract depiction, for more concise words escape me, speaks to the wine's texture, which coats and soothes the entire palate with a sheen layer of mind-bending pleasure, enhanced by velvety tannins. Medium plus to high acid, along with copious plush tannins grace a deeply satisfying finish of exceptional length. Medium body, and at 13 abv, impeccable balance. It should evolve over the next fifteen years, likely improve, and last fifteen years thereafter. High QPR! 96-98.
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3/19/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 97 Points
Bordeaux 2015 in bottle (Zurich Arvi / Singapore UGCB): Not a big fan of the Pontet Canets between 2000-2009, often too extracted with too little terroir. This one rocked however. Ripe, fleshy, sexy palate with dark fruit, blackberry, pine, complex. Sophisticated mouthfeel, good freshness. A very complete, aromatic Pauillac. More Mouton than Lafite in style. Together with Lynch Bages (wich is more Laifte style) the best Left Bank wine today. If you don't want to shell out money for the Mouton, buy this.
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3/17/2018 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 96 Points
At a larger merchant tasting, only quick tasting notes taken. Ripe, dense and powerful, but with beautiful freshness too, darker notes of dark plum, cedar wood, menthol and tobacco. A big but very sophisticated wine. (96-97)
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3/11/2018 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted at the Arvi Bordeaux 2015 event in Zurich.
We kicked the event off with this one. Immediatly shows new leather, juisy and fresh fruit but also floral aromas. Round and full bodied with soft tannins. Already a pleasure now!
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3/9/2018 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 92 Points
Back to a cool, concentrated, menthol led nose with strawberry and other red berries. Medium weight. Not the depth of the 09. Cool and slightly sweet palate. River tannins than the 2014.
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11/3/2017 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 95 Points
Assessing Bordeaux 2015 from bottle, part I; 11/2/2017-11/3/2017 (Bordeaux): Fulfilling its promise from barrel and then some, I loved the purity of fruit and pencil lead on the nose, sharing much in common with Léoville Las Cases, if not quite as intense. Time in glass brought forth subtle floral aromatics, too. The wine was bottled in July and from bottle now has a focused precision and freshness, too, owing to a somewhat low pH we were told at the estate. The finish tightens up a bit but that is normal. Aged in 50% new oak, 35% amphora and the rest in barriques d’un vin. "No rognage, no leaf clearing, no green harvest," explained director Jean-Michel Comme.
So “neutrality” with amphorae is added to the winemaking: for information, the wines breath through these as well... An excellent Pontet!
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10/15/2017 - valedeniro wrote: 96 Points
Deep ruby colour.The nose is very pure,crème de cassis,plum,black cherry,subtle earth,spices and some floral notes.The palate is medium-bodied with excellent depth,velvety texture and very fine grained,elegant,
silky tannins.A wine that makes you want to drink it already,but the best is yet to come. (95+)
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10/11/2017 - Rjhorn4321 wrote: 96 Points
Decanter staff
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7/12/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
A fabulous wine that has really developed well since it was first placed in barrel. Rich, dense and intense, the wine is deeply colored powerful and refined. The wine will hit the middle and probably the top of my initial score range with ease.
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3/14/2017 - Man in Black wrote:
Expressive nose showing aromas of dark cherries, black currants, dark plums, vanilla, cinnamon and clove.
It is dry in the mouth with a fresh acidity. It has firm fine-grained tannins and a medium+ alcohol. It is full-bodied with pronounced intensity flavours. The finish is long.
It is a very good quality wine. It shows complexity provided by oak ageing, but these notes are note well-integrated yet. There's balance between concentration, tannic structure, acidity and alcohol and the finish is very persistent
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7/11/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Developing nicely, this is going to be a strong vintage for the chateau. The wine exchanges elegance with ripe, sensual, polished textured, freshness and purity of fruit. This should drink well relatively early for Pontet Canet. If the wine continues developing well, and it should, the wine should go up a Pt or so. 95-97 Pts
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6/21/2016 - wineforth Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sweeter caramel nose, soft tannins, good body and length. Surprisingly approachable. Excellent if you got 1st tranche, but 2nd tranche prices take it out of the good value for the quality bracket.
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6/16/2016 - Monkeygrape Likes this wine: 94 Points
tasted twice. One at shortly after opening and at 2+ hours later.
Goods:
Nice soft grainy texture
Refined structure
Cedar, sexy body
most finesse Pontet so far.
Bad:
Flavor isn't 2010, but hey...
Finish fairly short, at least after a long air time. Had tasted twice to confirm since the first impression was so good.
Verdict: Impressive all the way but quick drop at the end. Just a bit short of perfection.
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5/7/2016 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:
Intriguingly Pauillac #Bdx15 (Bordeaux, actually tasted during en primeur week): Quite aromatic, somewhat floral, with sweet red fruit and meadow like freshness. The palate displayed excellent sap, and juiciness, but there is a tannic edge here that affirms an excellent structure. Yet on the palate, one gets more prominent red fruit aspects as opposed to black fruit, even a cranberry/raspberry coulis aspect. An excellent 2015, in that it combines the charming freshness (again, 1985) with fine structure, perhaps akin to 2005. Bravo! 93-95
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4/29/2016 - vespasian wrote:
Good nose here. Rich, deep and dark berried fruit. Mineral edge; very satisfying flavour and dark fruit complexity. Rich, dense, delicious. Long. Great build - should be ageworthy.
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4/18/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
With the color of ruby so intense it’s nigh on purple, this rich, luxurious, full-bodied wine is brimming with blackberries, cassis, licorice, and dark cherries with a hint of cocoa in the end note. This wine is all about the elegant, well-developed purity of fruit poised with the velvety tannins to produce a fresh, prolonged, fruit-filled, polished finish. The wine will be aged in a unique combination of 50% new, French oak barrels, 35% amphora and 15% in tank. Another wine in a great string of vintages for Pontet Canet, Alfred Tesseron and Melanie Tesseron are clearly on a roll here! 95-97 Pts
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