Castle Pontet-Canet - Pauillac 2008

Wine Advocate

93 / 100

byNeal Martinthe3/31/2012

Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. The Pontet-Canet 2008 has a lovely, extravagant bouquet with scents of blackberry, macerated dark cherries, graphite and sous-bois. It is very well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a supple, almost fleshy entry with seamless tannins. The oak is well integrated with a pleasing citric edge. Not a “classic” Pauillac, a little more voluptuous than others...more like a 2009 in many ways. But it is complex and demonstrates very good persistency in the mouth.Tasted January 2012.

Jamessuckling.com

93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe12/20/2011

I love the nose of sweet tobacco, currants, minerals, flowers and stones. Full bodied, with dark chocolate flavours, silky tannins, and beautiful fruit. Long and beautiful, with a succulent finish and a great overall balance. Best in three or four years.

Wine Advocate

96 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/31/2011

A candidate for the “wine of the vintage,” Pontet Canet’s 2008 boasts an opaque purple color as well as copious aromas of sweet blueberries, blackberries and black currant fruit intertwined with lead pencil shavings, subtle barbecue smoke and a hint of forest floor. Full-bodied, with fabulous richness, texture and tremendous freshness, this first-growth-like effort is more developed than the uber-powerful 2010. Give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades. Bravo! Drink 2016-2046

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

byJames Molesworththe12/15/2010

Quite dense, but pure and fresh, with the core of fig, damson plum and mulled cherry fruit already well-defined and the back end of rounded loam and roasted cedar grip fully integrated. The finish is long and powerful. Best from 2013 through 2020.-J.M.

Le Monde

18 / 100

the6/5/2010

Remarquable prise de bois, remarquable onctuosité de texture pour l'année, grande tension et droiture de bouche tanin noble, le parfait pauillac, une fois de plus, et le plus accompli de la série de cinquièmes crus. 18/20

Wine Advocate

94-96 / 100

byNeal Martinthe11/4/2009

A limpid deep ruby colour. The nose has wonderful definition, very pure with crème de cassis, black plum, a touch of graphite and cedar. It has certainly become less flamboyant and more precise since tasting out of barrel. The second bottle in October 2009 has an added dimension of fresh tangerine. The palate is full-bodied, firm tannins, quite attacking on the front palate, strong Cabernet flavours with that seam of graphite running from start to finish. Blackberry leaf, a touch of black plum and cassis struck through with vibrant acidity. Quite sinewy and less fleshy that I remember but undoubtedly a classy wine. Coming back after ten minutes, the 2008 has more puppy fat than the 2005 and the wine is finally revealing its cashmere finish. Drink 2013-2030. Tasted October 2009.

Falstaff

88-90 / 100

the6/30/2009

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, jugendliche Reflexe, violetter Rand. In der Nase feine Gewürze, Lakritze, süße dunkle Beeren, feine mineralische Note. Am Gaumen straff, dunkles Beerenkonfit, zitronige Nuancen, präsente Tannine, bleibt gut haften, zart vegetal im Abgang, leicht austrocknend, braucht noch einige Zeit.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91-94 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe5/28/2009

Saturated inky-ruby. Classy aromas of blackcurrant and graphite are lifted by Oriental spices and plum liqueur. Sweet, dense and consistent from start to finish, with enticing, creamy flavors of dark berries and chocolate. Finishes long and pure, with a solid tannic bite but with so much sweet, ripe fruit that you hardly notice. Pontet-Canet has been consistently excellent in recent years, and this vintage appears to be among the most successful.

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe5/5/2009

Dunkles, dichtes Granat mit violettem Schimmer. Pfeffriges Bouquet, feine Zedernnote, schwarze Beeren, heller Tabak, mit gewisser St.-Julien-Affinität. Eleganter, langer Gaumen. Fein gewobene, delikat süss strahlende Tannine, die erst im Nachklang fordernd wirken, recht klassischer Stil, garantiert langlebig. Erinnert an den 1988er, der fast 20 Jahre bis zu seiner ersten Genussreife benötigte. 2018 – 2040

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/4/2009

A wine for our children’s children. Nobody in Bordeaux is more attentive to detail than Alfred Tesseron is at Pontet-Canet. Fashioned from incredibly low yields, a very late harvest, and a Draconian selection, the 2008 will not be close to drinkability for at least a decade, and it should still be in superb form circa 2060. An absolutely amazing effort, it boasts an inky/black/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of creme de cassis, graphite, charcoal, and incense, blockbuster depth, and full-bodied power. The tannins are high, but they are remarkably velvety as well as well-integrated. Sensational acidity gives the wine precision and vibrancy, but the impression is one of massive concentration and power. The 2008 Pontet-Canet, a candidate for the wine of the vintage, is a tour de force in viticultural precision and winemaking savoir faire. 96-98+

La Revue du Vin de France

18,5-19,5 / 20

the4/29/2009

Dans le Médoc, Pontet-Canet 2008 est sans doute le plus grand vin dégusté lors de cette campagne de primeurs. Grâce au travail d'Alfred Tesseron et de son Directeur Jean-Michel Comme, ce cru classé atteint aujourd'hui un niveau inégalé. Ce vin s'est affranchi des codes maîtrisés par l'ensemble des crus classés (rendements, extraction, couleur et maturité). Quand d'autres en sont à maintenir leur très bon niveau, Pontet-Canet atteint l'excellence. En bouche, tout se dessine pafaitement dans un cadre de bois précieux. Un vin que le marché doit soutenir contre vents et marées car il nous dévoile l'avenir viticole bordelais.

TAST

18 / 20

the4/23/2009

Remarquable prise de bois, remarquable onctuosité de texture pour l’année, grande tension et droiture de bouche, tanin noble, le parfait pauillac, une fois de plus, et le plus accompli de la série des cinquièmes crus.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/16/2009

Expressive dark fruit and sweet citrus freshness. Deep and mouthfilling, deep pile tannins, finishing fresh and satisfying. Plenty of freshness on the finish. (JH) Drink 2013-20 17+

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/14/2009

Black-red, finely concentrated blackcurrants nose, really fine depth of fruit on the palate, a wine with both power and breed, very expressive, masses of fruit, concentration and potentially complex flavours, while retaining totally focussed vineyard fruit. Very good wine. Drink 2017-35.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/7/2009

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot. We learnt a lot after 2007. A deep purple colour. The nose has very good intensity, brambly black fruits, a touch of boysenberry, a hint of the Thames estuary, a slight clayey scent although it is more akin to mudflats. Good definition. With aeration it starts to gain cedar scents. The palate is full-bodied with firm, grippy tannins, pure blackberry, cassis, blueberry, this is a Pauillac that really lacquers the mouth. Great persistency on the finish with a touch of black pepper and violets right on the aftertaste. Excellent. Tasted three times, the sample at a negoçiant showing a little more tension and structure. Tasted April 2009.

Wine Spectator

90-93 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2009

Very dark and brilliant in color, showing wonderful pure fruit, with crushed blackberry, currant and fresh-cut flowers. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, crisp, fruity finish. This offers impressive finesse and length.