Jono's Pontet Canet Extravaganza

Great to have a look back to a chateau I used to seek out when I first got seriously into wine. Bought quite a bit of the vintages between 1994 and 2004 before they went up quite a bit. I'm actually happy to still have a few 1996s and 2002s after last night's showing. Monsieiur Tesseron even enjoyed a pristine 1993 from my cellar a few years ago at a dinner at La Trompette.

• NV Caillez-Lemaire Champagne l'Eclats Extra Brut 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  45% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Meunier. Base 2016 54% and 2015 + 2014. 52% oak barrel aged. Dosage 5 g/l. Feels at the upper end of extra brut. Lemony top notes with some buttered brown toast on backing vocals. A touch of lime Jelly Tot in the margins. Palate has crisp acids on entry with a savoury Grape Nut cereal quality with some more liminess. A touch or mandarin develops through the mid palate.. Lovely lick of elderflower tonic water on the finish. Classy start to proceedings.

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• 2010 Château Valandraud Blanc de Valandraud 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux

  45% Sauvignon Gris, 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Sémillon. Intense grassy nose, tarragon and a touch of pineapple stalk exotic greenness. Palate opens with some stone fruit and a touch of heat from the alcohol. This peachiness develops through the mid palate and onto the finish where there is a touch of dried apricot too. Lovely to try but my cup of tea, really.

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• 1985 Château Pontet-Canet 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot, Cabernet Franc 5%, Petit Verdot 2%. Game of two halves here. Nose 91, palate 87, average 89. Lovely rich mature claret nose with House of Lords leather benches, cassis and tobacco. With air touches of dark chocolate and espresso grounds in the margins. Palate has quite a frame to it, there is some Rooibos tea on entry which builds through the mid palate. The finish sees some sandalwood emerge and a hint of mushroom. This does feel that it is drying out a little and it's a bit foursquare on that palate.
  
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• 1995 Château Pontet-Canet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. A little spicier than the 1985 on the nose here; some cinnamon around the plum fruited core. Some bresaola meatiness some mocha and earth. With air a touch of Bovril in the margins The palate is also slightly drying but has a little more life than the 1985. Some cassis on entry leading into a plum led mid palate with a hint of ginger. Some Biscoff crumb on the finish. Decent but very much in the shadow of they 1996 as it has been every time I've tried it.
  
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• 1996 Château Pontet-Canet 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Classic straight laced Pauillac; this oozes class. Svelte and upright. There is a beautiful crystalline quality to the plum fruit and cassis core. Around this Biscoff crumb and a touch of incense. Palate is cool fruited and fresh, some cigar box and blueberries on entry. Mid palate sees this fan out and a touch of Rooibos tea appear. The finish is more on the raspberry fruit with a touch of pepper in the mix. Mature but vibrant claret with no messin abaht as Len Goodman would have said. Mine and the groups favourite.

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• 2000 Château Pontet-Canet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. ABV 13%. Really focussed cassis core to this wine as soon as you pick up the glass. Chestnuts, sandalwood and mocha around this. Palate is youthful compared with the 1996 that preceded this; some spicy plums on entry. That mid palate has some grenadine and blueberry, those tannins have a way to go to resolve fully. Just a touch of star anise on the finish.

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• 2001 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, 0.5% Petit Verdot. ABV 13%. Lovely nose here; summer greenhouse / tomato leaf pungency. Some tobacco and sandalwood too.This has a seriously sexy nose. Just a couple of ppm of dulce de leche in the margins. I think the palate on this is a little in the shadow of the 2002 but still in a good place; Rooibos tea and cassis on entry. Palate has a broad blueberry coulis and white pepper character. Finish has a touch of raspberry fruit and some Assam tea tannins. My third favourite wine of the dinner

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• 2002 Château Pontet-Canet 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Morello cherry and dark chocolate on the nose here, a touch of Bakewell in fact. With air some cassis and a touch of terracotta, cool fruited and a touch green. Palate has a charming redcurrant entry, plus and Rooibos tea combine agreeably of the mid palate. The finish is blue fruited with a touch of cinnamon in the margins. The supporting tannins are resolving nicely but have a few years to go. The greenness I love in so many of the 2002 Medoc clarets is here in spades. My second favourite wine of the night.

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• 2004 Château Pontet-Canet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. ABV 13%. Something a tad balsamic on the nose here; pickled walnuts in the margins too. Alongside site this there is a complementary creaminess; blueberry fool. Palate has lovely breadth some chestnut brazier on entry. Mid palate a little more on the cassis with some tea tannins complementing the spicy finish.

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• 2005 Château Pontet-Canet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. ABV 13%. Some cassis, bitter dark chocolate and a couple of ppm of pine resin in the margins here. Palate is rich, long and spicy. It opens with some classy sandalwood notes with spicy raspberry fruit filling out the mid palate. The finish sees the fruit get a little tarter into the redcurrant register; there's some ground white pepper too. A bit too young for my tastes from this address.

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• 2008 Château Pontet-Canet 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. ABV 13%. Sweet chestnut and meatiness to the nose here. Some high toned redcurrants as well. Palate youthful with the tart red cherry fruit on entry, more plum fruit fills out the mid palate which has some tannins in evidence. These tannins continue to the finish with some smoky Rooibos tea and earthiness as well.

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• 2009 Château Pontet-Canet 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. ABV 14%. Feels very young, tart blueberries, milk chocolate and deep dark liquorice / anise character on the nose. Palate is a little monolithic with cherries and a touch of strawberry on the mid palate providing interest. Rooibos tea on the finish. To me this feels a bit worked and is hard to love.

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• 2010 Château Pontet-Canet 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. ABV 14.5%. Fruit feels fully ripe on the nose here. Too ripe? Did Rolland's instructions to pick late go too far? There is some volatility as well. Peppermint. Treacle? Palate is jammy on entry a dry bitter cocoa nob character builds through the mid palate. Finish is peppery and tannic (not criticising the tannins BTW would expect that on serious Pauillac of this age) Just don't see what the hype is about here I'm afraid.

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• 2011 Château Pontet-Canet 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. ABV 13.5%. Much more my cup of tea than the lauded 2009 and 2010; this has rich plum fruit on the nose with some savoury meaty nuances. It's youthful, of course, but would rather have this in the cellar and a few quid than the two vintages that preceded it. With air there's a touch of Christmas mince pie as well. The palate is spicy and cool fruited with the slightly tart / under ripe plum fruit dominating the entry and mid palate. There is a touch of pastel de nata creamy spicy char on the finish with some prickly tannins. I suspect that this would be drinking really well now with a 4 hour decant and bigger bowled claret glasses

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• 2014 Château Pontet-Canet Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. ABV 13.5%. Properly corked.

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• 2016 Château Pontet-Canet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. ABV 14.5%. I connect with this modern day highly regarded number more than the 09 and 10. The nose has a sesame cracker and cashew note alongside some Bakewell tart cherry and almond action. Quite spicy too, some of my grandmother's crystallised ginger. Palate is very tannic and youthful with some Ribena and ground white pepper on entry, mid palate has a lovely rosehip infusion character, grenadine cordial making an appearance on the finish.

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• 2009 Château Filhot 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  60% Sémillon, 36% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Muscadelle. Papaya, barley sugar boiled sweet, demerara sugar bowl and lime zest on the nose. Palate has concentrated quince jelly Seville orange marmalade. A bitter touch to the fruit. A treat, just prefer the Rieussec of the same vintage this is served with

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• 2009 Château Rieussec 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  84.5% Sémillon, 11.5% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Muscadelle. Such a good vintage of Rieussec. There is a green element to the otherwise tropical nose; mango peelings as well as the flesh; a touch of pineapple stalk. Palate is rich and long; some passion fruit on entry, lime juice flecked pineapple on the mid palate and with rose petals on the finish. A seam of acidity cutting through it all. Lovely.

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Our organiser did a great job pulling this together. Really enjoyed it. Nice venue too. Larger glasses would I think have helped the wines show better but there are always compromises, the space and food were great.