CHÂTEAU PONTET CANET

Bright ruby-red. Superripe, soil-driven aromas of currant, plum, cherry pie, mocha and minerals; almost liqueur-like in its ripeness, in a 1947 way. Then huge, sweet and plush, with great volume and depth to its flavors of cassis, flowers, minerals, game and olive. Finishes with big, ripe, horizontal tannins and great mounting length. This remarkably thick wine is actually a bit youthfully stunted today and should really be cellared for ten years. It should go on for three or four decades in a cool cellar. Rating: 95 Stephen Tanzer, www.vinousmedia.com (Jul 2013)

Bottled in late July, the Pontet Canet has a very fragrant nose, with a touch more fruit intensity that its peers: raspberry, wild strawberry, a touch of cedar and pencil lead. It is very well defined, less flamboyant than the 2009, more a bouquet of precision and etiquette. The palate is medium-bodied with a tightly coiled, peppery entry. There is real density to this Pontet Canet: powerful, a little introverted, but very focused towards the structured finish. This will certainly be a long-term wine, the finish very long and so elegant. I actually prefer this stylistically to the 2009...but whatever rocks your boat. Gorgeous and classy. Tasted November 2012. Drinking range: 2020 - 2050 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2013)

An absolutely amazing wine, from grapes harvested between the end of September and October 17, this blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot has close to 15% natural alcohol. It comes from one of the few biodynamic vineyards in Bordeaux, but you are likely to see many more, given the success that Tesseron seems to be having at all levels, both in his vineyards and in his fermentation/winemaking. An astounding, compelling wine with the classic Pauillac nose more often associated with its cross-street neighbor, Mouton-Rothschild, creme de cassis, there are also some violets and other assorted floral notes. The wine has off-the-charts massiveness and intensity but never comes across as heavy, overbearing or astringent. The freshness, laser-like precision, and full-bodied, massive richness and extract are simply remarkable to behold and experience. It is very easy, to become jaded tasting such great wines from a great vintage, but it is really a privilege to taste something as amazing as this. Unfortunately, it needs a good decade of cellaring, and that’s assuming it doesn’t close down over the next few years. This is a 50- to 75-year wine from one of the half-dozen or so most compulsive and obsessive proprietors in all of Bordeaux. Is there anything that proprietor Alfred Tesseron is not doing right? Talk about an estate that is on top of its game! Pontet-Canet’s 2010 is a more structured, tannic and restrained version of their most recent perfect wine, the 2009. Kudos to Pontet-Canet! Drinking range: 2021 - 2061 Rating: 100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Mar 2013)

The attention to detail at this over-performing biodynamic Fifth Growth has elevated it into Bordeaux’s front rank over the last five years. This is as good as the equally wonderful 2009, albeit in a different style, with more tannin and acidity, but the same perfume, fruit concentration, subtle oak usage and palate length thanks to careful extraction. If this sells at less than £1,000 a case, buy it. 20+ years. Rating: 98 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2011)

(65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot) Bright ruby. Knockout nose of cassis, black pepper, minerals and cedar just screams Pauillac. Enters the mouth sweet, creamy and pure, displaying very rich, dense flavors of black fruit, minerals and dried herbs, with lively, integrated acidity keeping the wine from coming across as top-heavy. Finishes extremely long, with silky tannins and an intriguing floral note. Twenty-four hectares are now farmed by horse (up from seven last year) at what has become the first officially certified biodynamic grand cru classe property of Bordeaux. This wine has one of the most impressive and memorable noses of all in 2010 and is much better than the very good but generally overrated 2009. Though it's a little more accessible now than some other great wines of 2010 such as Latour and Calon-Segur, this still needs another 10 to 12 years in the cellar to start showing its best and will keep another 40 years after that without problem. Rating: 94-97 Ian d'Agata, TerroirSense (May 2011)

Now fully certified as biodynamic, having completed the three years of conversion following the use of chemicals during the 2007 vintage. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, Merlot 30%, the third highest percentage of Merlot in any Pauillac classified growth grand vin, after the 40% at Grand-Puy-Ducasse and Clerc-Milon's 36%, Cabernet Franc 4% and Petit Verdot 1%. Very dark, glossy, purple-crimson hue. A dark and rather withdrawn fruit character on the nose to match this. Certainly very reticent. A very polished feel at the start, with nuances of exotic red fruits coming in here, a great flesh underpinned by a very firm tannic grip. There is a massive tannic substance here but also a juicy, creamy sense to the fruit. And there is a lot of tannic substance in the end as well. With subsequent tastes it seems to come together more; the tannins are absolutely undeniable but there is a wealth of supple, juice-edged fruit. The fresh and lively acidity helps too, giving the wine a vigorous feel. Tannic but fruity in the finish. What can I say? This is a wine bound to impress, showing a lot of structure coming out of the vintage and perhaps from the high percentage of Merlot, but the substance of the wine itself - the fruit and the texture - struggles to fill the frame that the tannins provide. It all ends up feeling very firm and anabolic, right through the long, grippy finish. Rating: 16-17?/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2011)

Dense, rich and minty on the nose with real density. Lots of luscious chew. This is clearly from a great vintage with huge vivacity. Heavy undertow. Long. Minerals and firm. Racy. 2020-2034 Rating: 17.5+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2011)

Masses of concentrated cassis fruit, but already has wild violet fragrance of the greatest Pauillacs, superb middle sweetness, perfect structure and length, perhaps more elegant than Pontet-Canet's great 2009. Drink 2016-35. Rating: *****18.5 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2011)

What a nose of black currants, minerals and blueberries. Flowers too. Licorice. Full bodied, with a wonderful texture of super refined tannins and a long, long finish. A beautiful concentration of fruit and purity and precision. So clear and focused. Super, super long. The tannins and finish are all in balance. This is the first vintage completely certified for biodynamic. Like a Swiss watch – A Lange! 65 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 percent Merlot, 20 percent Cabernet Franc, 1 percent Petit Verdot. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2011)

Seriously dense, with thickly layered fig paste, macerated black currant fruit, Kenya AA coffee and roasted tobacco. But really fresh and invigorating throughout, with mouthwatering iron and apple wood notes. Despite the power, this cuts like a knife from the start. When the Bordelais say precise, this is what they mean. Rating: 96-99 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2011)