Château Pontet-Canet 2009

Tasted en primeur, this is the first vintage of a new era. More structured than usual, it still lacks depth.

An amazing wine in every sense, this classic, full-bodied Pauillac is the quintessential Pontet Canet from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, who continues to reduce yields and farms his vineyards biodynamically – a rarity in Bordeaux. Black as a moonless night, the 2009 Pontet Canet offers up notes of incense, graphite, smoke, licorice, creme de cassis and blackberries. A wine of irrefutable purity, laser-like precision, colossal weight and richness, and sensational freshness, this is a tour de force in winemaking that is capable of lasting 50 or more years. The tannins are elevated, but they are sweet and beautifully integrated as are the acidity, wood and alcohol (which must be in excess of 14%). This vineyard, which is situated on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, appears to have done everything perfectly in 2009. This cuvee should shut down in the cellar and re-open in a decade or more. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2075.

This is amazingly expressive now considering how huge it is, with stunning espresso and warm fig confiture aromas followed by lush layer after layer of blackberry paste, cassis and plum sauce. A terrific loam underpinning strides in on the finish, which is weighty but sports serious cut. Equal parts fruit and earth. Best from 2018 through 2038. 26,665 cases made.

98-100 barrel sample. A superb wine, with the purest fruit, great freshness and ripeness. It is certainly structured with dry tannins, but the blackcurrant freshness is all there. The wine has a great limpid, flowing feel, but also power.

Sumptuous black-fruits nose, vividly aromatic, as well as minty, stylish, and toasty. Very rich, broad, full-bodied and generous, with very ripe tannins and a lot fo spice. Perhaps slightly lower acidity than usual but has punch and persistence all the same. Approachable, just, but will benefit from more age. Good length with a chewy but not astringent finish.

Stunning aromas of fresh flowers, with blueberries, blackberries and currants that follow through to a full body, with super balance and finesse. The tannins are super polished. Such class here. Best ever from here. From biodynamically grown grapes. Try in 2018.

Much more expressive than the 2010. More open though the alcohol is noticeable on the nose – maybe the warm room. Plenty of cassis aroma, dense and concentrated, but almost a little bitter on the finish, though again I think the alcohol is interfering because the sample is rather warm. (JH)

2009 Pontet Canet offers all the opulence you could hope for from the vintage, paired with its Pauillac character. This lets you enjoy its waves of perfectly ripe blackberries, black currants, tobacco, cedar and spice. Your palate is coated with seemingly endless layers of sweet, fresh, ripe, vibrant, regal fruits that are still youthful. Drink from 2026-2045.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate ochre rim. Nuances of tobacco, blackberry, fine hint of cedar, subtle animalistic touch, black cherry, a very multi-faceted bouquet, some orange zest. Complex, juicy, sweet fruit notes of liquorice, blackberry, ripe tannins, subtle hints of blueberry, salty finish, fine herbal savouriness, great length, enormous ageing potential, already gluggable, has reached an initial maturity for enjoyment. (2021 - 2060).

A consistently perfect wine every time I've had it, the 2009 Château Pontet-Canet is the greatest wine from this address to date as well as one of the greatest Pauillacs out there. Still youthfully ruby/purple and with a gorgeous perfume of blackcurrants, lead pencil, graphite, crushed rocks, and damp earth, it's still youthful but is just now starting to show more nuance and complexity. Full-bodied on the palate, with a powerful, concentrated mid-palate, incredible depth of fruit, and flawless balance, Bordeaux simply does not get any better. You couldn't have too much of this in the cellar, and this magical wine is going to drink brilliantly for another 50 years or more.

(65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot): the extra work paid off for the first time: after a rainy start to the year, the sun arrived at the beginning of summer and stayed through harvest. Pontet- Canet received 100 points for the first time. On the palate, a balance of a precise attack, a powerful mid-palate and high extract, with ripe phenolics and an ambrosial finish. A confident, charming style. The 2007 to 2009 vintages can also be grouped together as a cluster: the fruit clearly comes to the fore, the use of new oak has been reduced to 35%, and there is also increased ageing in concrete. 19.5/20

Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core with a violet sheen on the rim. An intense bouquet of blue and black berries, blackcurrant, a hint of dried banana and nutty edges; it shows plenty of freshness while also delivering beautiful Cabernet ripeness on the nose. On the palate, an unprecedented suppleness, lots of creamy melt over hefty tannins; at its heart, finely mellow tannins that give the body real flesh. As the cellar master of the time, Jean-Paul Gardère of Latour, used to say: if a Pauillac smells of banana on the nose, then it’s a truly great wine! He was right—and this brilliant 2009 Pontet-Canet proves it. (19/20). 14: Right after uncorking: dark garnet with violet reflections. A warm bouquet—prunes, dark woods, bread crust—intense yet still extremely restrained and self-contained. A compact aromatic grenade. With decanting, it showed tremendous mineral depth and revealed a touch of truffle. On the palate, it comes with massive astringency and demanding tannins, yet shows great concentration; but it still clenches its tannic fist and, shortly after opening, remains completely inaccessible. Still, in the finish and the power of its shape, you can sense its gigantic greatness. 19/20. At the Wine & Dine: absolutely nothing has changed since decanting! You feel the enormous concentration and also the warmth/heat of the vintage. It remains very introverted and releases little aromatics. On the palate, a Cabernet concentrate with an incredibly promising future—albeit with the understandable handicap of youthful closedness! 19/20. 16: Deep purple-ruby, showing little rim. The nose is overwhelming, though you can assume it is currently only showing part of what will come later. Red-fruit notes, plums, fine woods; it builds and reveals more and more layers. On the palate, very dense, compact, still compressed, signalling that today it has no desire to please. The score for this shy behemoth therefore borders on fortune-telling. 19/20—wait a long time yet. 20: Tasted spontaneously alongside a few other 2009s. It’s now slowly showing what it’s made of. It could well be the best Pontet-Canet of both the new and the old era. It impressed me profoundly!

A spicy, fresh, complex, sweet bouquet with raspberry purée, Damassine plums, tobacco, leather and mocha. A creamy, dense, layered palate with concentrated, sweet aromatics, a creamy structure, and a long, dense, full finish. 19/20 drink through 2040.

Beautifully deep ruby colour, deliciously brambled fruits, cigar box, chocolate drops, mint leaf, confident and cradling tannins; this is a beautiful wine, easy and luxurious. The estate was in organic conversion at this point, not yet certified. Great quality. Jean-Michel Comme technical director.

Deep garnet colored, the 2009 Pontet-Canet prances out of the glass with exuberant notes of black cherry preserves, warm cassis, and boysenberries, followed by a powerful perfume of star anise, candied violets, fallen leaves, and crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with decadently rich, sensuous black berry preserves and exotic spices flavors, backed by a velvety texture and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length. Stunning.

One of the vintage’s marvels, a thrilling wine for its full-bodied build, its perfectly velvety texture, and the nobility and complexity of its tannins. Monumental yet flawlessly natural in its balance, it should age superbly for one or two generations.

The nose shows the first hints of tertiary aromas, with notes of dried orange peel, fennel, dried fig and a touch of rubber, yet bright, gleaming red fruit prevails. On the palate, with its fleshy aromatics, the oxidative notes sensed on the nose are only just beginning to appear, but it remains bright and lively, finishing on a pure finish.

Format: Impériale (6 litres) This bouquet shows plenty of freshness, with notes of thyme followed by hints of graphite, so it is not really a warm profile given the context of this very hot year. Dense on the palate, the wine is powerful and seductive thanks to imposing, velvety tannins. The aromatic characteristics carry through nicely on the finish. A truly great wine.

In Imperial format. A smooth, very fruity wine with a charming palate and a velvety body. A well-structured finish with consistently fleshy tannins. Excellent length.