A Ten Year Retrospective of Chateau Pontet Canet with Alfred Tesseron
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Chicago
Tasted Saturday, April 28, 2012 by AllRed with 1,345 views
Introduction
The Chicago Wine Company presented a unique opportunity to taste ten vintages of Pontet Canet during dinner, with Alfred Tesseron providing insight and commentary along the way.
Flight 1 - I. Warm up (3 Notes)
There was enough interest by those in our monthly tasting group that we had quite a few friends in attendance- such that our Saturdya blind tasting group had an entire table to ourselves. Sue was staying at the Waldorf that night and invited the group to her suite for some charcouterie, cheeses and warm up wines.
Flight 2 - II. Reception (1 Note)
The evening began with a casual reception in the hall and adjacent room. The Geoofroy was a lovely starter for the evening. The ten vintages of Pontet were poured by the hotel staff during the reception, and all ten were waiting for us when the dinner began.
Flight 3 - III. First course (4 Notes)
Seared Maine Diver Scallops, Smoked Neuske's Bacon, Lentils de Puy and Frisee.
I wasn't expecting a fish/seafood course tonight, but this was surpringly nice with the wines. Being the older vintages with some secondary character, the earthiness provided by the bacon and lentils worked well. My favorite of the flight was the 2000- just textbook Bordeaux and exactly what I wanted. The 2003 was just behind, with a bit more freshness and a lovely floral quality.
Flight 4 - IV. Second course (3 Notes)
Crisp Berkshire Pork Belly, Belgian Endive, Dijon Vinaigrette.
Another nice course, but not quite what I expect/want from pork belly. This was too lean for my liking, with none of the wonderful collagen you get with great belly. Still, the flavors were very good and paired nicely with the wines. The 2005 was clearly the outstanding wine in the flight, and in my opinion the 2006 was the weakest.
Flight 5 - V. Third course (3 Notes)
48-hour Braised Beef Short Rib, Truffled Pomme Puree, Brussels Sprouts and Golden Raisins.
This of course was the flight everyone was eager to taste, and the 2009 went quickly. An excellent course with the wines, all of which were very young, and had a 'modern' feel to them. Is the 2009 worthy of the 100 points? I have no experience on which to judge how a young Bordeaux will be in twenty years, so I will leave that question open for you to answer. To my palate, it is a young, balanced wines with a lot of fruit and structure. Time will tell.
Flight 6 - VI. Dessert
Almond Financier with Chocolate Cremeaux, Luxardo Cherries, Chocolate Ice Cream & Honey Sable, Luxardo Syrup.
Served with the Tesseron family's Cognac: X.O. Perfection Grande Champagne Cognac, Lot 53. I do not enjoy Cognac, so while I enjoyed the couple of sips I took, I did not finish my glass.
Closing
I kept a bit of each wine in my glass the entire evening, not finishing a single vintage until after dessert. It was fun to see how each vintage developed and changed in the glass over a few hours. The Waldorf team did an excellent job- first class, as was the team at TCWC. This was the first of their dinners that I have attended, and it will certainly not be my last. Mr. Tesseron was engaging, polite and full of passion and humor. Thanks to all who participated and made this a very memorable evening!
1996 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
Crimson color, touch of age at the meniscus. Leather, plum, red fruit and floral notes; rose petals. Balanced, with fully-integrated tannins and flavors of red currants, plum and dried herbs. Long finish.
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1995 Ridge Monte Bello 95 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Decanted briefly off its sediment, rebottled for travel and tasted two hours later. Wonderfully complex bouquet of leather, red & black fruit, cigar box, cherry, tobacco and herbs. Nicely integrated with soft, plush tannin and flavors of dark fruit, cherry, leather and roasted herbs. Long, long finish dominated by red fruit and tobacco qualities.
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2003 Caliban Petite Sirah "Noble Savage" 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
Deep inky crimson color, opaque to the edge. Blackberry and floral notes dominate. Full-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and flavors of blackberry, plum, spice and cherry. Tannins have a sweet edge, and this is nicely balanced with plenty of fruit for the structure. Drinking nicely now.
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