Pontet Canet 1996

Pontet Canet 1996

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£165.00
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  • Vinous rating 93
Pontet Canet 1996
12 left

HED58407

75 cl

12.5%
£165.00
Taxes included.

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1996 was generally a high-quality vintage across Bordeaux, producing wines of excellent concentration but robust structure. This is certainly true of this release from Pauillac Fifth Growth, Château Pontet-Canet. It is broody and deep but unfurls to reveal lovely notes of black fruits, spices, earth and crushed minerals. Though perfect for drinking now, this should continue to evolve over the next decade or so.
93 Vinous
The second bottle, from an estate I know like the back of my hand, was the 1996 Pontet Canet. One or two people had suggested that this might be past its best; after all, it predates the innovations and application of biodynamics overseen by Alfred Tesseron by several years. On the contrary, it has aged beautifully. Cedar, scorched earth and mint blossomed on a nose that is firmly into its secondary phase, yet laden with more fruit than expected considering both its age and the austere style of Left Bank 1996s. The palate might be nearing the end of its drinking plateau, so don’t hold back if you own a few bottles. But I admired its balance and density, its structure and classicism, and the typical Pauillac traits of cedar and a touch of mint toward the finish. I savored it down to the last drop.

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Chateau Pontet-Canet

Chateau Pontet-Canet

Quality and Consistency

Château Pontet-Canet is a highly-regarded Fifth Growth wine estate in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux. In recent years, Pontet-Canet has become one of Bordeaux’s most innovative wine estates, implementing biodynamic practices in the vineyards, and introducing alternative fermentation and ageing vessels, such as concrete eggs – all in the pursuit of ever greater quality and purity in its wines.

Pontet-Canet produces Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blends with Merlot and smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wines are typically full-bodied with excellent purity of fruit and considerable ageing potential. High critical acclaim for recent vintages, in particular from 2009 and 2010 onwards, has propelled the estate into the ranks of the best-performing producers in Pauillac. The estate is owned by Alfred and Michel Tesseron, members of a family of leading producer of fine aged Cognacs, who also own Château Lafon-Rochet in St-Estèphe.

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