2004 Pontet-Canet, Pauillac Pre-Arrival

92-94 points Robert Parker: "A brilliant effort from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, Pontet-Canet’s 2004 may ultimately prove to be a better wine than its more famous neighbor, Mouton Rothschild. Medium to full-bodied with a classic creme de cassis-scented perfume, sweet fruit, ripe tannin, tremendous purity, and a personality that suggests no manipulation, no nonsense, and hard work in both the vineyard and winery, this beautiful Pauillac should age for 2-3 decades. It is one of the most concentrated and potentially long-lived wines of the vintage..." (04/05) 92-94 points Wine Spectator: "A beautiful wine with lots of blackberry and currant. Hints of toasted oak and fresh mushroom. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. This shows really well. Very ripe. Serious. Long and in harmony..." (03/05) 92-94 points Stephen Tanzer: "Deep medium ruby. Precise aromas of cassis, black cherry, licorice and flowers. Sweet, broad, dense and focused, with terrific purity and depth of fruit. Finishes with noble, broad tannins and outstanding persistence..." K&L's notes - Chocolate and cassis aromas with a touch of orange zest. You cannot ignore the deep purple fruit, that has fine intensity and power and such purity. Sweet and lush wine. One of the stars of the vintage. Please note - The 2004 Bordeaux futures will arrive between Oct 2006 and Aug 2007 (possibly delayed further).

1998 Pontet Canet, Pauillac

Limited Availability: 4 On Hand
When we visited the property they couldn't stop talking about how well the Merlot grapes turned out. In 1998 Pontet Canet used a much higher percentage of Merlot than normal (48%). The wine is sweet, ripe, and tasty. There are plenty of tannins - the wine will need time. At this price it's a good purchase. According to Robert Parker: "Pontet-Canet's dark ruby/purple-colored, closed 1998 (50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot) is undoubtedly a vin de garde. The high tannin level makes the wine taste compressed, but there is sweet black cherry and cassis fruit intermixed with earth and oak… patience will be required for it to round into shape, despite high percentage of Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2015".

2000 Pontet Canet, Pauillac (1.5 L)

Limited Availability: 2 On Hand
93 points Wine Spectator: "Extremely pretty aromas of mineral, blackberry and raspberry. Full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and a medium finish. Well-crafted red. The best Pontet-Canet ever. Best after 2010." (03/03) 92 points Robert Parker: "Like its neighbor, Mouton Rothschild, this wine seems to have closed down considerably after bottling. The impressively saturated opaque purple color offers up some promising aromas of black currants, vanilla, truffle, smoke, and mineral. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, powerful, layered, and enticingly textured, but oh, so backward and firm. The finish is long, but this broodingly backward, large-scaled Pontet-Canet will require considerable patience. Does it rival the brilliant 1995 or 1996? I am not sure. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2030." (04/03).

2004 Pontet-Canet, Pauillac (1.5L) Pre-Arrival

Limited Availability: 11 On Hand
92-94 points Robert Parker: "A brilliant effort from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, Pontet-Canet’s 2004 may ultimately prove to be a better wine than its more famous neighbor, Mouton Rothschild. Medium to full-bodied with a classic creme de cassis-scented perfume, sweet fruit, ripe tannin, tremendous purity, and a personality that suggests no manipulation, no nonsense, and hard work in both the vineyard and winery, this beautiful Pauillac should age for 2-3 decades. It is one of the most concentrated and potentially long-lived wines of the vintage..." (04/05) 92-94 points Wine Spectator: "A beautiful wine with lots of blackberry and currant. Hints of toasted oak and fresh mushroom. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long finish. This shows really well. Very ripe. Serious. Long and in harmony..." (03/05) 92-94 points Stephen Tanzer: "Deep medium ruby. Precise aromas of cassis, black cherry, licorice and flowers. Sweet, broad, dense and focused, with terrific purity and depth of fruit. Finishes with noble, broad tannins and outstanding persistence..." K&L's notes - Chocolate and cassis aromas with a touch of orange zest. You cannot ignore the deep purple fruit, that has fine intensity and power and such purity. Sweet and lush wine. One of the stars of the vintage. Please note - The 2004 Bordeaux futures will arrive between Oct 2006 and Aug 2007 (possibly delayed further).

This intense, rich and concentrated wine perfectly stands the test of time. Lengthy aging yields a full-bodied, subtle and refined wine.

The magic of this exceptional Saint-Estèphe resides in its subtle complexity. The structure and fruitiness of the Cabernet-Sauvignon (55% of the vineyard) is enhanced by the soil’s fine gravel layer. The Merlot (40% of the vineyard) is planted on the east-facing slopes and hills where Saint-Estèphe’s clay and limestone subsoil peaks through the surface and imparts fat and suppleness to the final blend.

Rounding out the plantations, the Cabernet-Franc (5% of the vineyard) provides the Lafon-Rochet wines with their vibrant color and enhances the richness of their bouquet.

 

2003	Fruity nose, structured attack featuring delicate tannins. Its long finish is proof that the grapes ripened to maturity in excellent climatic conditions that year.	1996	A very good year dominated by Cabernet-Sauvignon. It requires several additional years of cellar aging and will reach maturity between 2004 and 2010.
2002	Nice, fat wine, intense and aromatically complex, with a rich and silky texture, forceful, vigorous and quite harmonious. With time, this wine will remain balanced while gaining in complexity.	1995	An excellent year dominated by Merlot. Already presenting great finesse, it will reach its peak between 2005 and 2010.
2000	An excellent year. It will peak between 2010 and 2020.	1994	Ready to drink, but can continue aging for a few more years.
1999	A true classic. It will reach maturity in 2005.	1993	A very good year. It requires a few more years of cellar aging and will reach maturity between 2004 and 2010.
1998	An excellent year. It will reach its peak between 2010 and 2020.	1992	A true classic, presently ready to drink.
1997	Already very expressive and ready to drink; however, it can continue aging for a few more years.	1991	Despite a very severe frost, a good year although less intense. Dominated by Merlot, it will reach its peak between 2012 and 2025.