1979 Château Pontet-Canet

Community Tasting Notes (16) Avg Score: 89.1 points

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  8/5/2023 - J_H Likes this wine: 93 Points

  - Beautiful present and ripe nose, still has plenty of fruit. Strong cabernet spice, cigar box, sous bois and barbecue. All very subtle and delicate.
  - Not so complex on the palate, everything is a bit slimmer but has a nice "drinking flow" (which means fun). The acidity is very present, but still has amazing grip. Length is definitely there. A little lacking in complexity and sexiness on the palate. Should be drunk now.
  - 93 points.

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  3/10/2023 - winemanintheden wrote: 88 Points

  My first experience with a 40+ year old vintage. In fact the oldest wine I’ve tasted to date. The cork had already fallen into the bottle. Perhaps due to storage. But not disintegrated. So I was expecting Pontet-Canet-Vinaigre-Rouge. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. Pop and poured. I’m writing this note while drinking. Here goes. Light brick red colour. Nose was of truffles, mushrooms, iodine, soapy, sea salt. Oak is completely integrated. Lots of earth and minerality. No need to decant. On the palette, very light with faint dried fruit. It’s way past it’s prime and on its last legs. In fact it’s an elderly chap. Strangely I still get some grippy tannins. The finish is medium and offers more mild tones of medium dried fruit. Quite muted but pleasant. Has some oxidation but that didn’t destroy the bottle. The nose is the best part. It’s a wine that would have been nice 5-7 years ago. But very grateful to taste something this old. From a half bottle bought a decade ago in Paris.

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  5/20/2022 - jhbrower1 wrote: 91 Points

  Tasted blind without decanting. On the nose, guessed Cabernet Franc, but seeing the bottle shape figured Bordeaux. Pyrazines, dark fruit, remarkably fresh and vibrant for its age (guessed 90s). Superb acidity, just a hint of tertiary notes, remarkable all things considered. With air, more tobacco and darker, plummier fruit. Really delicious & incredibly vibrant for its age. Described by a colleague (who also guessed Bordeaux) as "crushable."

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  3/22/2021 - Pelew Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Nice substance, red cherries, plum, a bit sweetish, no noise, clean finish

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  7/18/2020 - Sean Tay wrote:

  Only oak, toast, cedar nose note. Did not get any fruits nose. Without decanting, drank straight from bottle. High acidity, low tannin. Garnet. Feel it’s out of condition.

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