Chateau Pontet-Canet 2015

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Pontet-Canet comes charging out of the glass with fantastically expressive notes of black cherry preserves, black raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles plus touches of kirsch, wilted roses, tobacco, camphor and cinnamon stick with a waft of fragrant soil. Full bodied, the palate is laden with black and red fruit layers, supported by very firm, very finely grained tannins and provocative freshness, finishing with incredible length and stunningly perfumed.

Succulent fruits, rich tannins and juicy acidity are in perfect harmony in this wine produced from biodynamic grapes. It has a rich, velvety texture and dense structure, sumptuous and already balanced and delicious. However, do not be fooled, this is a serious wine for aging. Drink no earlier than 2026.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Pontet-Canet is deep garnet-purple colored. It rolls effortlessly out of the glass with notes of blackcurrant pastilles, raspberry coulis, and blueberry compote, plus suggestions of candied violets, beef dripping, and tar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is firm and grainy with seamless freshness framing the generous red, black, and blue fruits, finishing long and lifted. 

Proprietor Alfred Tesseron and winemaker Jean-Michel Comme produced an absolutely stellar Pontet-Canet in 2015. Sumptuous, racy and totally inviting, the 2015 is all class. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, spice and exotic floral notes build as the 2015 shows off its alluring personality. Even with all of its raciness, the 2015 speaks with authority and power. Fine tannins extend the persistent, highly nuanced finish.

Vibrant plum colour, followed by spiced plum on the nose, more exotic in its range of flavours and silky texture than many vintages, still powerful and in its primary fruit phase. This is a gorgeous wine, hard to argue with, showing estate character over appellation or vintage. The tannins are softer at this stage that you will find with the 2016, even the 2014, but there is so much pleasure in the glass, and it will power ahead for decades. Harvest September 18 to October 3. This was the vintage where Tesseron decided to make no more Les Hauts de Pontet, with everything going either into the first wine, or declassified, as he felt both that the vineyard had reached the level he wanted, and also that philosophically that he wanted the wine to be a true reflection of the whole vineyard.

Ruby with a purple rim, no second wine made starting with this vintage. More expressive and opulent aromatics than in 2014, with ripe red and black fruit. The irresistible, juicy palate with creamy texture recalls the 2010, but lacks the same tension and structure. It resembles the 2009, enjoyed over lunch after the morning vertical, but with more focus and fruit purity, including primary blackberry, plum and cassis. Long finish. Aged 50% new oak , 35% amphora. 

The 2015 Pontet Canet is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot brought up in 50% new oak, and 35% in amphora. With textbook Pauillac notes of lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, smoke, and licorice, as well as a core of pure crème de cassis fruit, this beautiful, full-bodied, impeccably balanced is one of the few 2015s that’s going to demand cellaring. The tannin are high, yet sweet, and like its bright acidity, nicely integrated into the wine. Forget bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following three decades. I don’t put this as the level of the 2009 and 2010, but it’s still a beautiful wine. Tasted three times. 

This sports a lovely core of gently steeped plum, blackberry and black currant fruit, carried by velvety structure, while smoldering tobacco and charcoal notes fill in through the finish. Fleshes out steadily in the glass, revealing more juniper, bay leaf and loam accents. 

Dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Finely spiced dark forest berries, nuances of blueberry and blackberry mingle with the typical cassis nuances, tobacco and herbal spices, tiny animalistic hints. Complex and full-bodied, ripe black cherry, fine, very well integrated tannins, juicy and with a pleasant freshness. Combines finesse with power, here you can feel the polish of the amphorae for the first time. 2015 is the year in which the caesura in the vineyard really arrived in the wine for the first time, and from now on no more second wines were produced. (2025 -2070).

Deep colour to the rim. Rich and concentrated but the aromatics a little blurred. Dark fruit with initially a hint of black olive. Palate supple, opulent with powerful but polished tannins. Lacks a little precision but plenty of depth and flavour and just enough freshness. Worth waiting to see how it develops.