Ether, cherry, and peach (?) on the nose. On the palate, black cherry, blackberry, and notes of currant, dark chocolate, and a hint of cigar box, with light tannins and well-balanced acidity. This was excellent, but I was hoping for this to reach another level given the vintage. Even so, it was a good value at about $100. Although it's in its drinking window, it will probably improve.
Had with Dave D in a small road house in Edmonton. Wine sat in the car most of the day. It was the first sunny warm day of the year. Totally unexpected. It was probably 80F in the car when I took the wine into the hotel.
I chilled in in my hotel fridge which thankfully was a crappy fridge, but just about cellar temperature.
Definitely worried it would be cooked.
Paid $25 corkage and our young server decanted the wine for us. Tons of sediment. The travel probably shook the bottle a little.
Allowed the wine to breathe for 7 or 8 minutes. Very closed, smooth mouth feel, it needs to breathe.
Ordered steak bites and truffle fries appetizers and sipped water while the wine was allowed to breathe for more minutes. Applies took 15 minutes to come and the wine had opened up a little.
Over two hours the wine opened up and we really enjoyed it. It probably deserved at least a two hour decant, but the conversation and laughs made up for the sub optimal wine conditions.
We had been planning a get together for over 5 years, only to have something always interfere, so this last minute meeting had to do.
Brought to a BYO event so had to PNP. Super interesting nose of creamed corn. Mellowed tannins and overall very enjoyable. Unfortunately, bottle was gone in less than 30 min so no idea how it would evolve over the course of the evening but I suspect at its peak right now.
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Nose: BLACKBERRIES and Morello cherry, amazing freshness and fruit forward for the age. A warming alcohol, graphite, restrained/balanced tertiaries: leather, cedar, fresh cigarette tobacco.
Palate: Whoah, nice acidity. furry tannins (in a good way) a full bodied powerhouse but elegant at the same time if that makes sense. A finish for days.
Overall an absolute banger
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Drinking very well, dark fruit, blackberry, currants, spice, firm tannins giving a solid backbone, long finish, still many years to go, I believe this was Jean Michel Comme's first biodynamic wine, wish I had more. Drank after the 2009 Pontet Canet, actually gave a slight nod to the 2005.
Underwhelming. Decanted for one hour prior to serving, was all it needed. Still primary, but over extracted, plum, prune and raisin notes. Jammy. More reminiscent of a Napa to be honest and lacked any trace of terroir. Let’s see what it looks like in a few more years, but not holding out much hope
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Oh my...Losing focus and fruit but the brick house under it is all there, brick by brick. This bottle came across as a bit clumsy. Loud...Belligerent. Said allot, but didn't say much. Shows quality, shows no Bordeaux. Shows cedar and some graphite, but lacks balance. Lets hope its in re-balance mode. Long, coarse, dry finish. My advice to others and a note for myself is: drink this by itself, not in a lineup of supposed peers. Drink
Taken out to a local BYO. Popped and poured. Still very primary with strong cassis characters on nose and palate. Tannins have almost all gone with this bottle. Long life ahead.
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This was solid. Decanted for 1 hour. Dark purple and nose is wonderful with expressive fruits, oak, and graphite. Tannins are resolved, but still slightly acidic that prevents it from reaching complete harmony. I thought the Montrose 2005 was more balanced, but also measurably less expressive.
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Nose: blackcurrant, hints of nail polish, tobacco leaves Notes: the 2005 vintage has always been and probably will continue to be (at least for another decade) mysterious, full, well structured and unready. Very jam like and tannic still, this wine is not very enjoyable right now. Personally I have never been a fan of Pontet Canet and given this great vintage I am still unable to spot anything interesting or promising at this very moment, I think this may require another 10 years to develop and mature so I would advise owner of this bottle to lay it down and forget about it for a while. Drink: 2034+ Rating: 87
The wine kicks off with its cherry, leaf, and floral perfume before you dig into a big juicy mouthful of black, and red fruits, spice, cedar, and tobacco. The wine borders the corners of robust and regal in style. 1 hour of decanting is all that's needed. Drink from 2024-2045.
2hrs airing in wine glass. Almost no nose. Some faint tar and blackberry. In the mouth much more interesting- viscous, velvety, layered texture. Not a lot of acid, but there is a noticeable tannic bite. Slight edge of bitterness. But it’s not unpleasant at all. I’m rather enjoying trying to figure out what’s going on with this wine. I have a feeling it will be much bigger with more air. Will try the rest of the bottle tomorrow. 90pts.
Ok second day after Coravin. Folks are right - I should have decanted 3+ hrs on day 1. Much bigger nose, with notes of blackberry, plum, rhubarb jam (?), lavender (?), tar, forest floor. Tannins have receded. It’s lost some of the density and viscosity, but gained freshness and acidity. Tasty! 93 pts.
Deep purple dense and concentrated multilayered with complex notes of black and blueberry roasted notes pencil mine. Full bodied with lots of ripe tannins and super long finish
My third bottle with consistent notes each time. Not sure why this is so popular. I find it overextracted and the jammy, boozy body type suppresses the notes for me. I would not recommend this wine
Clearly a majority cab sauv blend. Black cherry, cedar, and vanilla on the nose. On the palate one immediately notices fruit, tartness, and zest. Complex. Flavors of dark cherry and some maraschino, black pepper, white pepper, a hint of licorice, some red fruit in the background.
I can see why some note New World characteristics. I suspect this will continue to improve with time in the cellar. Let it sit several more years and give it air before consuming. I note that the wine is continuing to improve as the decant gets longer.
This was opened, decanted for 5 hours, and re-tasted the following evening. Purchased on release and stored in my Eurocave or a passive cellar since release. So the bottle, cork, and wine were in the best possible condition save from the Chateau itself.
All that being said, I was not that impressed with this wine. To me, this has more in-common with a Napa Cabernet than it does with other producers from Pauillac. There's a level of ripeness to this wine that feels out of balance (to me). Rich and full in body, with robust notes of blackberry, black plum, and dark chocolate and a lingering note of oak on the finish that feels (to me) like it's just a tad too overbearing. People that prefer full-bodied red wines, that are richly layered, will enjoy this wine. Outstanding
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Stellar performance (as always, 6 down and 6 to go out of 12 bought en primeur). Opened several hours before dinner, but not decanted. Some light and slightly sticky tannins suggest further ageing potential, but the aromatics are fully developed without tumbling into advanced tertiary notes. More black fruit than mushroom, in other words. Glorious. Preceded by 1998 Bel-Air Marquis d'Aligre (Margaux), very interesting contrast, both wines were excellent.
2 hrs decant. nose was somewhat closed but opened up during drinking. good fruity, classic bordeaux nose. not so dominant pencil but plenty of dark red fruit. On the pallet nicely balance with soft tanines, medium to full body with long finsh. has some potential to further develop on the bottle
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PNP Dark red, thin clear rim, looks quite young still. This wine is still very powerful. Some secondary characteristics coming out but still a lot of fruit. Very floral, dried violets, cherry cough drop, slight notes of struck flint, hint of leather, red fruit with dark chocolate comes out. Prune. Saving last bottle for at least 5 years later. Really enjoyable wine and powerful wine. 95+
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Initially came across as quite an exuberant manner of a young BDX, but then it went thin on the palate and vegetal on the nose. Not sure if it was a root day, but none of the wines on this night really delivered.
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I have had this wine many times over the years. Usually it is up there in the 95-96pts range but latest tasting was slightly underwhelming. The wine is fantastic overall, but felt it was a little overripe and didn't have the finesse I remember in previous tastings. It's still a full bodied, rich, delicious wine, but hopefully just along its way and will develop more elegance and nuance.
Absolutely outstanding and mature for my taste, red bricking colour, intense on the palette loaded with graphite, minerals and lovely earthiness. It has a silky smooth texture and elegantly glides across the tongue leaving behind a finish that lasts a minute. Enjoyed this a lot more than the 2009 Pichon Baron the other night. No rush but fully enjoyable now.
Beautiful mature bordeaux. Purple tinged cork edge - cork removed intact with no signs of any seepage. PnP-slow ox/not decanted. Deep dark opaque garnet color. Wonderful balanced and complex nose of black cherry, cassis, and raspberry with secondary/tertiary notes of pencil box, dark chocolate covered fruit, and earthiness/loam. Dark fruit on palate with medium to full-bodied silky mouthfeel leading into a medium-length finish with remaining (in-balance) soft drying tannins. In prime drinking window at present but with no rush to open remaining bottles.
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Very savoury, yet rich and voluptuous with flavours of graphite, pencils and cassis. The ripe tannins melt away to produce a delicious lick of black chocolate. Rather plush with terrific structure and length. Top drawer stuff. CHP 94 pts
90 min double decant. Nearly opaque hazy magenta core. Dark chocolate raisinettes, prune, cassis, and black raspberry. Very smooth, dry palate. Full, soft tannins on the longish finish.
This has aged very nicely, but it’s past it’s peak for my palate. It was very kind of Mark1NPT to share this with us.
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2 hour decant followed by a 2 hour slow ox with the cork out of bottle.....medium garnet in the glass. Nose of cranberry/black currant, leather, briar and dark chocolate. Medium weight in the mouth. Resolved and integrated and soft. Palate of pomegranate, mushroom, graphite and a touch of earthy caramel. The more air this one gets, the better. Very complex on the nose and palate. I have scored this 1-2 points higher in the past but this one is now beginning to move more through its drinking window and softening with many subtleties....the fruit and the power have reduced but the complex 'little things' are there.
great balanced wine , right in its drinking window (after 2 hrs decant). good ripe bordeaux color. straight froward from the glass. long finish. fruit in the nose. subtile on the palate
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Gobs of blackberry and other ripe goodies, anchored in lurking graphite with a massive structure. Long brutal finish with no real statement of place, just some faint liquid pencil hints and a brooding structure that takes away from whatever is being sung softly in the background. I dont know what the future holds, but this is not a great place to put my storage capacity to work. For me, as a true Bordeaux experience (even though this is theoretically young), this one misses, yet it brings a whole new side of luxury to wine. In Pauillac, I'd honestly rather pay for either of the Pichon, and could easily replace this with Lynch Bages without fear of the future. I no longer collect PC because the market is so flooded that I can buy one when I crave one without needing to do the believing in the future...Drink or hold 93+
Same note as last year. I intended to give this wine more years before trying another one. Oh well.
The wine was doing great. Actually, it reminded me of a Napa Cab without the high alcohol. This one was at 13%. Also noticed that the bottle was a hefty piece of glass.
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Big, powerful, and concentrated! Wow, what a gem. Best Pontet I have tried - beats my so far favourite 2003. Decanted it for 2 hours. Loads of concentrated blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit along with a hint of licorice, bitter chocolate, lead pencil. Great length, with the full, ripe tannins. A powerful and masculine Pontet made for long-term ageing. Yet it drinks really well now and it retains a great freshness.
Bien content de goûter le 2005 qui était dans ma mire depuis un certain temps. Vraiment excellent ! fruits mure riche, plus ample que le Mouton, floral, tannins présents, ample, déja dans son apogée, sublime Bordeaux !
From Mag, double decanted for ca. 4hrs, great nose but still somehow harsh in the mouth - tannins clearly not (fully) resolved, incredible power and structure, I will open the next bottle in 3+ years…
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Decanted for about 2 hrs and of to Pascals with Felipe Young with full mouth of red but predominantly dark fruit. Will get an extra 2-3 points with aging Went great with lamb chops
Holy hell this was on point. cedar, pencil shaving, plum and currant. This could go many more years, but with a 5 hour decant this was screaming. I love PC and think the 2009 and 2010 are sensational, but this quickly moved up the ranks as an all time best PC
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Decanted 7-8 hrs. Wow, yeah 18 years in this tasted more like a 5 year old. While bursting with structure, the essential trio of fruit acid and tannin are all in the right proportion, so avoids being hard like an 06 or perhaps top heavy like a 09 or 10. Wonderful purity of cassis which is like cat nip to me. This is easily a 40 year plus PC. I’d mildly lean towards holding if you have just a few, but a larger stash - I’d give it a check in look.
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Rich and concentrated, this had leafy, savoury plum fruit underpinned with firm tannins which provide structure. The finish is silky and stays long in the mouth. Plump and plush. CHP 94 pts
A year since my last look at this. Dark red to rim. Opens within 30 minutes to a full nose of cassis, dark berries, moist earth, hint of cedar. Full bodied, plenty of ripe but not over-ripe or blowy fruit, good balance, tannins less prominent than last year, crisp acidity, no real aged complexity yet, medium-long finish. Expect further improvement. Another excellent 2005 - these are not turning out "over-extracted" as some predicted. Excellent.
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From 375ml. Just a hint of VA on the nose. Showing some maturity as the tannins are rather mild at this point and there’s some leather and cedar notes. Fruit still quite prominent, and in a transition into more tertiary notes. Tannins are “mild” but still rather mouth-puckering on the finish—but highly polished and fine. I’m going to continue and hold my 750ml’s another 3-5yrs before trying.
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Wow, this wine is incredible … incredibly young. Bouquet of ripe berries, crushed stones, undergrowth. First night still holding back with quite some acidity, a bit of greenness. Second night more open. Typical 2005. Full yet tight, sweetness hidden somewhat behind acidity and ultra-fine but present tannins, leading to a long finish, which still is dominated by primary elements. Agree that one should wait for 2-3 or more years, but still highly impressive and already enjoyable.
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Deep purple with complex flavors of blackberry black currant a bit of balsamic notes and black pepper and roasted notes Full bodied with lots of ripe tannins and super long vibrant finish
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Wine 4/6 of Bordeaux 2005 tasting at YOLO Wine club.
* Decanted 4 hours ahead of tasting.
The '05 Pontet-Canet is text-book, as I've come to expect from this Chateau which has become a true staple of Pauillac. Classic aromas of Cassis, wild mushrooms, black pepper and cherry blend harmoniously to create a beautiful bouquet. On the palate - big, bold red fruit and spices, with muted notes of plum and strawberry, and integrated yet rather firm tannins, suggesting further development is required.
92 points on the night with potential for 94+ points once it peaks. Hold and drink from 2027 through 2037
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Direct purchase from London straight after release. Ship to HK and stored in the wine fridge till now. Cork was dry and intact. Immediate nose was average. Decant for 1 hour. Cantonese home cook seafood lunch. Definite nicely balanced classic Bordeaux red but without the Woo stunning impact. After taste was average but the body was holding well till the end of the meal. This was my second bottle.
I had 94 .. 95 and 96 before.... they were all more impressive than this 2005.
Dark fruits and tobacco. This was a bit disappointing. Despite decanting for 2 hours, this just didn't open up and was clearly holding back. Sommelier at restaurant agreed this was just too young and not ready. Will give the remaining bottles many years before trying again or if the moment hits me try a 6 hour decant...
Slow ox for 1 hour and another 2 hours decant. Compared with my previous CT notes, I found this bottle to be even more primary. Very rich dark fruit, full body with silky tannins. Approachable, but 5-10 years away from maturity. Very much Napa in style, and tasted more like a 09 than 05. A 4+ hours decant would have been more appropriate. 92-96 depending on which style of BDX blend you prefer. Next bottle 2026+
Quite powerful dark fruit notes, some tobacco, tar, soft licorice and some graphite notes. Full bodied with a fresh and medium intense acidity. Powerful tannins, nicely integrated. Good depth and complexity. Overall balance is very nice, fruit is a little too dominant in my opinion. Drink now until 2030. (IG)
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Decanted for one hour before drinking. Dark purple in color. Dark purple in color with a powerful nose. Aromas of dark fruit, gravel/graphite, and cedar. A well-integrated palate with elegant, velvety tannins and a long finish.
Been almost 3 years since my last bottle....MJP drinking his '10 on vaca encouraged me to dip into the cellar.....my (only slightly fatty) liver thanks you, Michael!
Decanted, but right from the pnp you could probably start drinking this one, now. Only slight barnyard to the nose, but it resolved very quickly over 30 min to be replaced by a beautiful graphite and leather nose. The palate is high class with a dark red/black fruit profile. The first hour or two there's a slight tart cherry ending to the fruit, but it's not a thin tart, it's a heavier, richer tart if that makes sense. There are multiple layers, well integrated tannins and acidity and jut a beautiful 'punch' to this wine. The mid palate is less than desired but the juicy, rich fruited ending and mouthwatering fruit go on for a good 30-60 seconds after you swallow. 96-97 the first 2-3 hours.
Next 3 hours sees a slight change.....a tad of mushroom shows up, a tad of astringency to the resolving tannins also appears. The wine goes extremely well with the grilled teriyaki flank steak and crispy baked potato. Maybe a 94-95 with dinner? It's quite the food compliment at that point.
Still enjoying the last glass, now open 6+ hours to air. More mouth coating drying tannins are emerging, but the deep, dense dark fruit is just so good I can overlook that. Still a 94-95. Hard to believe this is a 13% alc wine, I never would have guessed it given the quality, richness and density of the fruit. Glad I have 3-4 more of these left in the cellar....there's still plenty of time for these to age and integrate further. No hurry here.
Addendum: Late at night, the last glass has sat open to air for an additional 5 hours so now about 10-11 hours of total air time for this one. The nose remains quite strong with its graphite and now some beautiful red rose petals, too. The palate remains full of dark red fruit and some sweet tobacco leaf, maybe a touch of coffee bean while the mid palate has filled out a bit and the wonderfully full, elongated ending, continues. This bottle is sitting right in the middle of the spectrum between what big Cali red drinkers like and the traditionally aged and integrated Bdx drinkers like. Since I like all along that spectrum, this one is in a good place for me. Extremely enjoyable.
Pop and poured. First of six bottles purchased over 10 years ago. Opaque almost like a young port in color. Nose of black licorice, cocoa powder, forest floor. Palate was full bodied with bitter chocolate, fresh plums and medium acidity. It felt rich and had a little residual tannic finish. Finished the bottle between two of us. It’s a good sign that it was a delicious bottle.
Firm, stoic, crisp, tannic, and more interesting on the nose with its flowers, tobacco, currant, forest leaf, and cigar-filled nose, than on the full-bodied, bright, crunchy palate. This is an old-school-styled Pontet Canet that needs at least another 5 years in the cellar.
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First look at this. Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Cassis, dark berries, earth come forth after about 40 minutes. Full bodied, good balance, notable tannins still present, no real aged complexity yet, medium-long finish. Expect further improvement. Excellent.
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4 hour decant. Still deep garnet core with fading rim. Lush dark berries on nose, hints of graphite and tobacco. Fine grained tannins on the palate, very sweet. Rich core of dark berries again with a hint of tertiary flavours developing. Truffle notes. Long sweet finish with just a hint of drying tannins. Drinking very well.
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Decanted two hours before drinking. Good cork. Opaque deep red with brownish orange rims. Balanced acidity with a bright and fruity bouquet. Feminine body probably more suited to white meat and fish than moose steak it was paired with.
Burnt ends lunch in singapore. Pairing it with the wagyu steak. 2 hours decant. Deep purple color. A lot of dark cherry, raspberries, violet, roses and light smoke on the nose. Med+ acidity, Med alcohol, Med body, Med+ tannins - quite dry, Med+ flavor intensity, Med finish. I like this mineral red fruit mouth, nice salinity, I feel this is still very young so limited tertiary notes, and still quite a fruit bomb now. I recommend a much longer decanting or opening in five or ten year. A legend in the making for sure!
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Like a little foal trying to stand up, this wine has its kicks and spurts of potential greatness. Spicy almost juicy tannins give way to deep blue fruits and then a bitter sharpness that destroys the prior glory. The nose is reticent and has a sharp alcoholic terpine note. Will this foal ever learn to walk? I sure hope so because I have 11 more…
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out of 375. showing like a really nice aged Bordeaux. Wonderful vibrant cassis, some earth and leather coming on. Just starting to hit towards early peak.
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I cannot believe this bottle represents the future for this wine. What fruit it had initially faded and we were left with a rather harsh, woody tasting wine. We decanted it and let it alone for about an hour and a half. We poured it back in the bottle and let it regather itself overnight. That didn't really help it. What were tasted was wood and some spice. It may be going through a bad phase.
From 375 and still tons of clean dark fruit and smooth Tannins, this can develop for years to come, amazing now and long finish but wait if you can 94+This should develop 2+. Agreed it is a modern style but huge finish and will age for decades.
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This was a modern style Bordeaux with plenty of dark sumptuous fruit, spice (from the oak), and fine length. It was pushing the ripeness, concentration and oak to the limit, but nothing overdone. It was balanced by fine acidity and even show some elegance. Slow ox for 1 and decanted for 4 hours. In great shape, and with a long development ahead. Tertiary flavour has just begun to develop, but certainly approachable. 93 today and 95+ potential in another five+ years.
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1 hour decant after PNP at Avra Tart blackberry and licorice. This drinks young, sharp and somewhat tannic with a little tobacco from the oak on the finish . This has good structure but needs five years, just not enjoyable now, so I’ll reserve a numerical rating
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Cassis notes were in abundance, and loved the blackberry and oak medium to long finish too... but on this the special occasion of J's birthday, this and its twin bottle was perhaps a little rushed and there was not enough coaxing time.
Fickle thing these classic wines... this superb 2005 vintage PC was good but certainly not as spectacular as when we had it with the hotpot pre-MCO lockdown, its complexity and incredible finish did not come out and sing! We will have another chance next week.. hmm!
KL, Malaysia - Dec 2021
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Nose The wine exhibits developing, pronounced aromas of red blossoms, black cherry, black currant, blackberry, blueberry compote, vanilla, baking spice, young leather, cigar box, and dry earth.
Palate The wine is dry with a full body, high acid, medium (+) tannins, medium alcohol, and exhibiting pronounced flavors of black cherry, blackberry, black currant, sour cherry jam, vanilla, savory herbs, mushroom, and dusty stones with a long finish.
Conclusion The quality of this wine is outstanding. Still quite young and will hold for decades. Delicious. Life and wine are good!
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Ok, this is where the artsy fartsy gang faces off with the claret mafia. Totally a turning point year for PC in my opinion. Since the 2000, it seems like there was a search for a new modern style and while 2003 went there, the vintage as a whole was too strange and hot to be the cornerstone of the new house, BUT, the 2005 is definitely that. This is where lush, thick fruit meets bordeaux attributes and cradles all sides. This is probably the last great Pontet Canet for me....Drink or Hold
Thick, with long long finish....modern and yet traditional
Second time I came across this beautiful wine this time a Coravin glass. The bouquet reminds oneself more of a Napa mountain Cab, beautiful pure cassis, salinity and classic left bank aromas of pencil shavings. The palate is pure but full bodied at the same time. Had this a few years ago in a big 2005 tasting (incl. Colgin, Hillside Select, The Leoville‘s, …) where it came in second only to Monte Bello. Tonight it proved its pedigree, highly recommended.
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Dekantert. På vei mot sekundær frukt. Men det som tross alt er på plass er nydelig, og det kler 13%! Lavmælt, diskret, ingen store fakter. Perfekt fra glass 3!
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Even after a two hour decant, this Bordeaux still has active tannins and intense structure. Notes of blackberry fruit, currant with secondary flavors of pencil shavings and wet earth. The finish lingers with a great fruit and earth tone combination. There is a lot going in here and can’t wait to see how future bottles evolve over time.
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Beautiful deep ruby in color. Lovely on the nose. Lots of jam, mocha, a bit of ham hock or beef bourguignon, menthol or cedar and a touch of lavender. Beautiful. Delicious dark berry flavors and wintergreen on the palate with lingering anise. Very balanced between fruitiness and earth. Great expression of the terroir.
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Serious Bordeaux. I bought this back in 2008 and its absolut gordeous to drink now but even in 20 years. 13% alcohol it says feels like more, a full bodied wine so tasteful. We had it to moose entrecote and could not think of any better match.
My friend brought this round to open now, as he suspected it had suffered heat damage over the summer. Decanted and then started upon shortly thereafter. I wouldn't say the wine seemed particularly closed or tannic, or obviously cooked, but it was definitely blocky and lacking in much charm or finesse, or the long finish that I would expect from a top-vintage GCC. Went well with BBQ food, with good concentration on the midpalate, but (assuming no damage) not a very exciting wine.
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From a half bottle and still quite youthful in color and expression. Fruit has the classic Pontet Canet purity on the nose and palate with a generous touch of sweetness. This is beautiful but it seems like down the road it will have even more to give. I'll wait a few years before trying another bottle. An exciting wine. 94+
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My sixth tasting note for this wine, and the fourth bottle from a full case purchased at auction in 2009. In 2009 (2x) it was spectacular, in 2012 (1x) it was very closed and in 2019 (2x) it seemed to be slowly waking up again. Decanted at 4pm, and it's immediately impressive, an essence of northern Pauillac, blackcurrant fruit and lead pencil, completely integrated oak, perfectly judged tannins, youthful but on its plateau of maturity. Two hours later, some tertiary, meaty aromas start to emerge next to the flowers, gravel, fruit and gentle leafiness. The balance on the palate is really striking at this stage, the power and weight almost hidden by the youthful minerally energy and freshness, with firm tannic grip for balance. Around dinner time, 8.30pm, the wine is seems to have returned to its more primary state, resplendent in its tannic richness. This was built for the ages - a half century at least. Revisit in 2025.
Dark ruby. Nose: mix of black and red berries with a hint of truffles. Taste: black currant, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry. Integrated structure; mid-to-long finish.
Drinks well now, but not yet at its peak maturity. Nice fruit, expressive as most 2005s, but by no means an outstanding wine.
Medium purple and red color. Very spicy (almost mint-like) oak and cherry jam aromas. Supple rich round fruit entry and mid-palate, followed by tannins in the finish. Cork pulled 2 hours before tasting.
From Mark’s 2005 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting: Attended a 36 wine ‘05 Bordeaux tasting recently. The wine above is one of those wines. Served single-blind. All wines were tasted over a 2 day period, 18 per day. The wines served on the 1st day had their corks pulled two hours prior. The second day’s wines were served “ double-decanted”, 2 hours before the first flight. The overall tasting experience was quite different, as one would expect. Day 2 wines were softer, displaying more ripe fruit, and less harsh tannins. Kudos to Mark for both a fantastic experience as well as providing an instructive opportunity on how the 2005 Bordeaux vintage is showing at this stage.
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2005 Bordeaux at 16 years courtesy of Mark Taylor; 6/26/2021-6/27/2021 (Atlanta, GA): Wow, deep and plummy, whiff of marine air. Very mineral, very structured. Is it Lafite? With time some red fruit comes out which had me thinking this was Angelus for a bit. My #5 and the group #4. In the end I thought Margaux, but it was Pontet-Canet.
Still young, tannic and working its way through to adulthood, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and structured. The big, fresh, juicy bite of cassis comes through loud and clear. But, the tannins remain powerful. The cedar, tobacco leaf, cigar box and minty herb nuances add a lot to the wine. This is probably going to end up being more about power and fruit, over refinement and elegance. With 2 hours of air, the wine began filling out. At the 3 hour mark, it was even better. The wine should be showing a cut above starting in 2025.
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; a celebration (@ My place): Dark berries and chocolate in the bouquet. On the palate vanilla and oak, ripe black berries and beautiful acidity. At first not extremely concentrated and less impressive than on previous occasions. A few days later I tried a small leftover which I kept in the cooler and it had opened up. So my guess is that this wine is in an intermediate stage now and will open up again in a few years from now. The first evening I scored the wine 93.
Blackberry, oak and leather notes with a super long finish... my second Pontet Canet, over 3 years with the last one in Hong Kong back in Christmas 2018, this is a mighty Pauillac and what a way to finish our Bordeaux evening in Her Ping Hotpot.
Thanks RL for the generous treat, what a vintage 2005 is.. cheers!
Malaysia, Apr 2021
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Slow oxygenation for 6 hours. I don't think it was enough, would go for a few hours of decanter with the next bottle. Medium - intensity nose. Blackcurrant, pencil lead, some pepper. Tannins are well integrated. Medium length, rather dry finish that asks for food.
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Also decanted for ~6-hrs (in Voss btl), this came out of the gates more showy than its '03 sibling. Still young (very), this was much "prettier" than the '03, with some red-fruits element, plus beautiful scents of chocolate, spice and bits of ash. On the palate, this was texturally ripe, plush, satiny - loads of voluptuous fruit with beautiful (non-harsh) tannins underneath. Give it more time, and this will definitely blossom!
Very drinkable now and arguably in the beginning of its maturity window. Good mix of red berries, graphite/pencil, and a touch of violet. Even better days are ahead, but there's no reason not to enjoy it during its mature primary phase.
Finally opening one of these after this bottle has followed us from East coast to west coast and back. One of my earliest "high end" purchases. Had with Filet meal to celebrate getting the JnJ vaccine on Friday. From the other notes decided to decant about 4 hours prior. Tried a bit just after opening and thought it was fantastic. The initial aromas on the pour coming out of the decanter were also intense. Another taste an hour also had my hopes up. Long finish with an ethereal sense I can't describe. So we get to dinner ... and this falls a bit flat. Not sure what the heck happened. Was still good but lost its sense of magic. Became more straightforward red and dark currant, finish seemed a bit clipped. No idea how to score or what it means. Thought this was on track for 96-97 and settled into a 92. I'll call it a 93? I'll wait another year or 2 and probably only decant briefly for the next bottle.
Online Blind Tasting: BDX vs Napa plus some Sweets: Tasted blind. Note based on ~ 5cl bottle, filled two days before the tasting. Glass: Riedel Sommelier Bordeaux Clear, deep garnet color with some brown edges. Clean, medium- intense, developing nose, rather closed or muted. Warm red fruit, classic Paulliac nose, some green pepper, herbs and spices. Dry, medium+ acidity, high, mellow but not yet fully integrated tannin. Medium+ body. On the palate lots of red fruit, pepper, fine tobacco and some nice mineral notes. Great pressure and tension! Lots of extract, depth and density. Long, beautiful finish. Needs air and time and far from being at its full peak. 93-94+
Very dark purple still - just a hint of some tawny developing deep in those inky depths. The nose is classic Pauillac: blackcurrants, pencil shavings and cigar box. Imagine tipping neat Ribena into an old leather briefcase and giving it a shake - that's what this wine smells like. And the palate lives up to the nose. The balance between the concentration of super ripe fruit, silky tannins and freshness reminds me of Monte Bello. This is drinking well with a two hour decant but probably has another 5 years to reach its peak. However it's so delicious now, I could drink this all night. In fact, I think I will.
This is top drawer wine - a great bottle from a great vintage. Could be better in time. Preferred on the night to the Leoville Poyferre 2005 which seemed to lack the freshness of the PC.
Tanninene er fint integrert og vinen har en nydelig, elegant munnfølelse. Frukten mot solbær, blåbær og kirsebær men med begynnende kompleksitet. Drikker strålende nå om du liker din Bdx full av frukt men med sekundæraromaer som gir et bredere smaksbilde. Definitivt ingen skam å åpne dette nå. Sammenlignet med min forrige 05 Pauillac - som var GPL - er dette en mer maskulin og kraftfull vin, men defintivt fortsatt med eleganse og stil. (13 prosent alko.) Flott etter bare 1-ish time med luft.
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Well, hello. Upon my first sip, this is what the wine appeared to be saying. The wine is dark. The nose is, well, restrained. Hints of dark fruit and other nuances, but by no means anything that that makes you sit up and take notice. Then that first sip. Blind me and I will tell you I am drinking a wine 1/3 its age. Rich, solid tannins that offer no hint of a 15 year old Pauillac. The wine offers up beautiful dark fruit, blackberry. Maybe a hint of raspberry. There is a small sense of earth, leather, and a couple others that I could not put my finger on. The finish was long and delicate. Overall, it's beautiful. And in 5 years it will be better. Very likely 10 years as well. This beauty will stand the test of time.
Excellent. Very fruit forward and young still with lots of dark fruit up front and a bit of kirsch, graphite, and saddle leather poking through at the back end. If you like it young, go for it. Otherwise, I'd suggest letting this sit 10-15+ years and see what happens.
Consistent with its evolutionary path, entering early maturity and now balanced and enjoyable to drink after a 2 hour decant. Much of the potential seems hidden below the surface, I hope.
My first taste of this vintage. Really excellent with room for upside. Nice flavors and tannins reasonably balanced already. Obviously no rush and gets me real excited for other, higher rated vintages of Pontet.
Really good as usual, but surprisingly more mature than expected. I have been drinking about 1 of these per year since 2013 and this is the first time I have noticed its age.
Decanted for three hours. Pleasantly approachable now after a long sleep. Bottle variation? I would like to think I can begin drinking these in earnest!
Chateau Pontet Canet is a middle class man's first growth. I have tasted numerous vintages of Pontet including 2000, 2001 and 2003. My most recent encounter was with the 2005. If you plan to drink Pontet you must be very patient. Pontet's are agers and will require at least 20 years before they can be consumed. The 2005 is no exception. I decanted my bottle three hours before dinner. My feeling is that there is great potential, and another five to ten years will greatly benefit this wine.
With Subha and Jim at their place, very generous of them to open this. Had about an hour in the decanter
Notes from 2018: "Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window..."
Nose was notable on this showing, classic Bdx of dark fruit, minerals and some graphite. Smooth and elegant texture, medium weight and long finish. In a great spot, as expected. Likely continues to drink at this level for a while but worth drinking now
Clear deep ruby with a garnet watery rim; clean medium plus nose of cassis, cedar, raspberry jam, graphite and cracked fall leaves; dry; high acidity; medium plus tannins; medium alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate is slightly tarter with addition of cocoa and ripe red cherries; long finish; drink now or in 10 years; just starting the shift to tertiary; started a little hot and then transformed into an elegant Bordeaux
My first of this producer and 2005 vintage. Somehow imagined prior to drinking it would be a powerhouse but instead really well blended. Many reviewers stating just getting started at 15 years and I'm not certain. I think it has held up well but from what I know the better French wines from this region can go decades. Although the cork held up well it was on the skinny side, but nevertheless did its job. Seems like there's a lot going on here and it took a day or so for all the flavors to show up. Was a softer wine upon opening but intensified over time. I will try another within the next 5 years, but I do think this one is built to age, but I am reluctant to give them more than 10 years more.
This winemaker has become one of my favorite from Bordeaux, and Pauillac seems to have become my go to appellation on the left bank. Just a spectacular wine from a spectacular vintage. This wine is truly great, but I think even at 15 it might still be considered a youngster.
PNP just to see how it tasted without decanting. You could get away with it, plenty of fruit very little oak but I am sure that it will be amazing with time.
Another Birthday Dinner for Angela (Our House, Hong Kong): Decanted for 5 hours (which I'd suggest as the absolute minimum if you want to try a bottle now). Deep, totally opaque red-black colour with the merest lightening to a still opaque red at the meniscus. Nose is OMG....a big 'hit' of linear and very primal but warm and welcoming fruit with tannins that have softened slightly beyond the inky stage, lots of graphite and hints of damp forest loam. The palate is similar - very firm and somewhat austere but with sufficiently softening tannins to be just about approachable yet remaining very stern; great structure, deep but bitter cherry fruit combined with green Chinese Bitter Melon on the back palate which was too predominant to ignore. But....this has a beautiful cathedral-like resonance inside the head on the finish that will only grow more with a slow march towards maturity. We drank this alongside a 2001 Cos D'Estournel, which was half-open...but this wine will need much longer than 4 more years to even reach that stage. Not even strong French cheeses could open it up. 93 easy for now...but I would hide it away for another 7-10 years.
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What a revelation after my bad experience the night before with two bottles of stewed, cooked, porty 2005 Pavie Macquin! This was classic Pauillac - muscular on entry with a feminine finish. First rate Bordeaux that is drinking beautifully.
Incredible bouquet of ripe blackberries, blueberries, grilled peppers, tiny bit of underbrush, vanilla and mint. The palate is wonderfully balanced, sweet, fresh, fruit, silky and lush, very complex and dense yet still light. It has very fine-grained tannins, still sticking out a bit, spiciness and a bit tobacco on the finish. It still feels young but such a pleasure to drink.
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Intense, dark and deep but after 15 years not charming at all. Requires at least another 10 years of storage.Only time will show whether the wine really is a blockbuster deserving higher rates.
Tight as a drum for first 2 hours post decant. Started to open up in hour 3. Drinkable after 4.5+ hours. Lovely wine showing the potential to be great. 94 points could grow to 96-97.
Decanted for 2 hours, and it started to open up. At the 4 hour point, it was exceptional. This is a beautiful wine but it needs time. Be patient, and you will be rewarded.
Dark color, nose of dark fruit, ripe. Concentrated and a lot of body but not heavy. Tannins still there - But ripe. Lovely texture already and gives already immens pleasure. Maybe even better in 5 years?
Very dark garnet in the glass with a very thin meniscus. Decanted, and savored two glasses over the evening. Luscious black fruit and anise on the nose. Very P-C in the mouth, very bright and fresh, like tart currant on top of the black fruit and anise. Tannins have receded nicely in this bottle; still there with some mint as well but not obtrusive. Lovely.
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Rich cassis with a bit of plum. Voluptuous level of fruit but not heavy. It has a great freshness to it. I think still needs more time if you can wait. In 5 years it should be even better. Pontet Canet has been my go to Bordeaux for 20 years. this vintage is a must try.
Decant for 5 hours, excellent bottle and I will wait 5 years before opening the next. It will probably peak in 2030. You are lucky if you have some of these bottles in your cellar!
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Still completely primary - tight, structured, lip-smacking acids. Beautiful cabernet fruit, with plenty of currant, earth and minerals. Feathery tannic structure. A touch of bottle age development. Super balance, laser focus. This wine needs at least another five years before tertiary nuance begins to reveal itself. The Pichon Baron 1990 drunk earlier in the week (97 points) was totally instructive as to the direction this wine should hopefully move to in terms of development, although this wine will never reach the heights of the PB in that vintage! 93+++ - it should turn into something outstanding - extraordinary in the next 15 - 20 years.
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Dinner at Venue by Sebastians. Decanted for 2+ hours. Dark purple, almost black. Tannins softened but must have been quite formidable in its youth. Good weight and structure. Beautiful ripe fruit, quite dense, reflecting the generosity of the vintage. Not heavy or overpowering and well balanced with lots of freshness. Very enjoyable and one of the best left bank reds I have had. To me, great Pauillac (such as this wine) represents the quintessence of Bordeaux.
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I really liked it. Completely closed upon popping the cork, but opened nicely after sitting for a while. Recommend a 3-4 hour decant. Probably a 96 in a few more years.
Very impressive wine. Strong, opulent and still young. Tanins still very present. To be opened at least 2 to 3 hours in advance. But the result is remarkable
This week I put the wine through a Vinturi aerator twice. It opened up much more than from just sitting in the glass and breathing. The fruit was much more noticeable and the wine far more complex. For me, this is the best way to serve this wine at this point in its evolution.
We had the wine with marinated T-Bones off the grill, wilted spinach salad (with bacon fat dressing) and home made fries.
I poured a glass at noon and another glass at 3:00 PM. I let both sit on the kitchen counter until dinner time at 6:00 PM. Both my wife and I tried them just before dinner and during dinner. I could not tell the difference between the two, however my lovely wife said the 3:00 PM wine was slightly more bitter.
Both were closed, had little bouquet, however, both smelled of alcohol and were a little hot on the pallet. I got a little lead pencil and dark fruit of both glasses.
Both glasses were nice with dinner (homemade burgers over a wood fire), but I feel like his wine should be a lot more.
I’ll try the next glass through an aerator to see if that makes a difference.
If you have this wine, I think it’s too early to open. I’ll add comments on the aerated glass in the next few weeks.
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Weekly tasting group RWP #353; New World against France in every flight (@ RW): This 2005 Pontet Canet is much more my style. Beautiful and deep, complex bouquet with dark berries, chocolate, oak and cedar as well as some bell pepper. Same on the palate where all impressions come back; so a very harmonious wine with beautiful acidity and tannin with a future of at least another decade. Elegance as well. 96+
Really early maturity right now, probably best to wait another 5 years if you can. With that said, this wine is really starting to live up to its potential. It is drinking better and better every time I try it. This bottle was showing much better than the bottle from 6mths ago, and noticeably better than the bottle from a year ago. Proper Bordeaux.
needed a 2+ hour decant a magnificent baby with everything going on earth, dark fruit some secondary notes very early in it's drinking window hard to believe this is considered a 5th growth
In a moment of weakness I decided to open one of these. It doesn’t make sense to have them in the cellar if you are not going to drink them and part of the fun is trying them and seeing what they are like.
So, first impression was the Tannins are super fine, I had a small sip just after pulling the cork and the tannins grip the entire inside surface of your mouth. Dinner is in about two hours. I probably should have opened this earlier, many of the other comments on Cellar Tracker suggest at least 3 or more hours of breathing time...Live and learn.
We are having prime rib, cauliflower mash (with Parm and butter) and roasted Brussels spouts. It’s been a long day of homework with my 12 year old son, so I deserve this.
My glass of wine was able to breath for about two hours. I have to agree with others on Cellar Tracker, the wine seemed to be opening up and I think another hours or so might have been beneficial.
It was closed and tight, not really a great experience...not bad, but not what I expected, or maybe hoped for...
I’ll have another glass later this week and I’ll be sure to allow that to breather for about 4 hours prior to the meal.
The bottle is preserved under food grade nitrogen and will last 2 months like that. I’ve got a few weeks to experiment.
Excellent 3 almost 4 hours decant, it developed very nicely, tried every hour after opening it doubled ever hour in terms of nose and richness, it reached a first drinking window and already offers endless pleasure if you are patient
Popped around 1pm for Sunday dinner. On opening just the faintest of a soft barnyard nose along with dark fruit. Still dark garnet in the glass with a faint lighter garnet rim. Initial sip, medium+ weight, medium + astringency, fruit is red currant slightly tart/bitter. 60 minutes in, and the tart/bitterness on the end of the fruit begins to subside. More lead pencil and briar components emerge. Hour two, the fruit deepens and begins to sweeten. Nose continues to evolve with light sweet florals emerging. The astringency prevalent on opening is reduced now by 70%. Hour 3 in decanter, classic nose firms a bit, fruit deepens, cassis adds more length to the fruit, makes you want to swirl in your mouth a long time before swallowing. Slight herbal component showing up on the end. Hour 4 and throughout dinner.......dry, French BDX perfection. The remaining astringency cuts through the pan charred ribeye perfectly. It's a soft red fruited heaven. A bit of game meat/iron on the nose and in the mouth with just the perfect amount of acidity remaining. To me, and my tastes, hour 4 is where I want to be, in all it's secondary glory. The finish is very good however it's 10-15 second down ramp is just a tad short to me. Will be interesting to see how this wine progresses into its tertiary existence down the road over the next 10 years.
ps.....having said all the above.....hour 5 is pretty damn good, too....maybe the best of the evening!
This opened a bit on the tight side at the 90 minute mark. Delicious cherry and berry fruit. At the three hour mark things started happening and this evolved beautifully over the next 2 hours. Me thinks this is just entering a drinkable stage but that patience will be amply rewarded in another couple of years minimum. I expect it to score higher then.
Decanted three hours before drinking. Dried fruit on the nose, initially, but smooths out over time. This is a lush wine but it’s well balanced and elegant. It’s very well made and of very high quality. But it shows nothing whatsoever of what I know to be Bordeaux terroir. At least the way that was expressed in wines before 1990. Served blind this could have been mistaken for any number of wines from any number of places.
Decanted at 5pm, back in the bottle at 6pm, start tasting at 7pm at Bar Purlieu.
My last bottle on 11/1/15 note: WOTFlight, this was BIG, dark, and deep with stone notes vying with the cassis, blackberry, earth, and cedar. Tannic and long. Wait, decant (we did 17 hours), and wait some more. Next in 2-3 years. 93 on day 2. (8322 views)
Tannins have settled down 2 notches and have 1-2 to go. Otherwise very similar and great with lamb chop and the pork belly skewers!
Good chance I'll save my last for another 3-5 years.
Not fully mature, but if you like your Pauillac on the young side, working its way over to mature, this is in a good place. With an hour in the decanter, the wine serves up a blast of cassis, blackberry, tobacco and wet earth. Full-bodied, concentrated and filled with fruit and freshness, in the finish the wine is just a bit shorter than I would have liked. Another 3-5 years in the cellar should be about right, else 2 hours in the decanter will work nicely.
Excited to try this one. From a 375ml bottle. Popped and poured. On the nose, beautiful dark red fruits, coffee, lots of complexity and terroir. Very vibrant and stunning. On the palette was amazed by the absolutely beautiful elegant and balanced structure. So much going on. Tannins have soften nicely. Still feels young with so many years ahead but had to see where this was at as it’s one of those things where eventually you have to open and give it a shot. Also love the aftertaste. There’s a floral note. Like daisies which I’d never imagine from Pauillac but more from Margaux. Haven’t had many but this 2005 Pontet Canet is truly a classic and quality made wine. Nothing over the top but simply ‘balanced’.
Still needs time. Had a somewhat disappointing experience with this wine tonight. Felt like a very young BDX, so indicative of the 05 vintage. It needs time - I am not opening any more of this case for at least 3-5 years.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of aspirin, white pepper, plums and boysenberries. Flavors of red cherries, red berries and plums. Medium to bright acidity, firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. No rush.
Martha's Birthday.
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Pauillac, Margaux or St Emilion for Mid-Week Wine Group (Shear's Grotto): Hard to believe this was tied for the oldest wine of the tasting. DId not show any age. Beautiful perfumed nose with blackberry, graphite, touch of earth and herbs. Really great bouquet on this wine. On the palate, tannins well integrated and just hitting on all cylinders, had a somewhat Cali profile. Everyone loved this wine. Finished 1 of 6.
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Tasting among Napa giants consisting of 58 wines. No notes as spitting was frowned upon with my group... even punishable. Top wines 2018 Keplinger Oakville and Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet, Tusk, 2016 Colgin Tychson Hill, 2016 Vine Hill Ranch, Maxem Pinot and Chardonnay (tied for top QPR with La Pelle), La Pelle SB & Cabernet, 2012 Del Dotto Beast. Runner ups 2018 Memento Mori SVDs, 2018 Vice Versa, 2018 Keplinger Sumo and Lithic, 2016 Dana Hershey, 2016 Colgin Cariad and IX Estate.
Was super excited for the vertical tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron, owner of Château Pontet-Canet tasted with us on the following vintages: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016. Unfortunately for my palate, the 2015 I tried earlier this year and the 2016 were more towards my palate preference than the older vintages. Worth the freight but no need to purchase back vintages. Great experience!
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Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.
When beauty arrives, it moves every sense in the body. This is what happens when you have the 05 after 11, 12, 13, 06 & 08. The 05 would be great anytime, not just after lesser vintages.
The body is silky, satin and velvety. The fruits are round, ripe and lush. They truly show the greatness of the vintage. It’s great tonight but, this is a long way from being truly ready. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, hint of blue & purple fruits & strawberries. Medium dark spice, soft baking spices, black licorice, both chocolates, moist clay, limestone, dry crushed rocks, old tobacco, graphite, dry herbs, rich dark soils, dry stones, bright, candied, red, dark, blue florals. The acidity is excellent and the long finish is well balanced, nicely polished and persists nicely with a dark spice long set.
Excellent with our lamb chops.
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This wine was way too young even after a three hour decant. However, the way it kept improving over the course of dinner provided a sneak peak as to what it could be in the future. A lot going on here, black currants, blackberries, black cherries, blueberries, black raspberries, plums, licorice, tobacco, earthiness, and minerals. Full-bodied, complex, very well balanced, and a very long lingering finish.
Took to Seattle Wine Group tasting with a theme of "not ready yet". This exceeded expectations. Decanted when I arrived about an hour before tasting. Great core of black fruit but then this wall of tannins took over at the finish. After 24 hours, the wall had receded noticeably, but were still there and took away from the freshness of the wine. I may never be thrilled by my 2005 Bdx's…… Or maybe they will be thrilling in 50 years.
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Tight, quite concenrated, blackberry galore but with a good form structure,m and a good backbone; balancedm, but not drinking ideal right now, I think, wait for this - even though it is indeed a modern Bordeaux-wine, a left banker made by a Pomerol-man ... #Anarki#NYC-group
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Slightly stuck between phases. Lost the juicy fresh fruity puppy fat of a few years ago but still fairly tightly wound, dark, brooding and not very open or secondary yet. One hour decant and drank over an hour. Sour cherries, cranberry, beginning of leather. But really quite sour and tannic still. Will save my remaining pontet 05 for another 3-5 years until my next bottle. 05 is a slow brood for so many left bankers. 90 for pleasure now, 92 for justice, potential higher, probably.
From 375. Exceptional bottle of BDX. Beginning to show aged BDX characteristics. Many years of life ahead, but at 14 years old, it's starting to bloom. Haven't had this wine for 7+ years and was skeptical based on tasting back then, but no more. Looking forward to the next 20+ years.
Not really sure how to score it as I've become less enamored with numbers. But, it is excellent and I'm very glad to have more.
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Wine Group Dinner #168 - 2005 Bordeaux Part 1 (Urbane Restaurant, Brisbane): Wine Group Dinner #168, Urbane. The 2005 Pontet Canet is a very dense crimson colour with a nose of blackcurrant pastilles, black raspberry, dark chocolate with violet touches, spice and cedar. The palate is rich and round with plenty of complexity that edges on the exotic without crossing over. There is perhaps not the persistence of other wines tasted tonight but the whole package is quite primary and there is plenty of life ahead to develop that ! Delicious.
Bordeaux tasting (at my home): med ruby med aromas intensity of red cherries, bilberries, cranberries, oak-vanilla, earth, smoked meat, still developing dry, high acidity, high tannins, med abv, full body, pronounced flavours intensity consistent with the nose, mint, eucalyptus, licorice, long elegant finish can drink now - suitable for further ageing outstanding
Wine is very fruit forward, I was amazed about the clarity and precise style on the fruit. Lovely compaction in the wine, bit of puppy fat. Tannines weren't yet fully integrated. Young.
What can I say, it's a lovely wine definitely for the long haul.
Margaux / Saint-Julien 2005 tasting (with many other wines too) (Restaurant Vineum, Rotterdam, NL): Tasted blind. Very youthful appearance; perfectly classical nose, gravel, flowers, hint of green; elegant, even playful palate, vibrant and lively, juicy fruit, energetic grip (more skin than oak), very pure, excellent persistence in a feminine style. From the same case as the bottle tasted in February, but seems more developed.
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Tasted blind. Perhaps not a very good bottle. We knew it was a pirate in a flight of 2005 Margaux, we also knew it was Bordeaux but when we saw the label we were a bit disappointed. Also did not perform on the level of the 2005 Château Pontet-Canet tasted in February of this year...
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Decanted 4 hours. So good right now but still so much more to come. Was in a similar place to the 05’ Cos I drank recently. Both will be as good as it gets in another 5+ years.
Closed nose, massive structure, high acidity all suggest to me to try again in 5 plus years or so.
Cured meat, black currant on the nose. Sweet tannin and cassis on the palate with an earthy spine. This was noticeable after some food.
Starting to open up, the nose becoming more expressive. Flowers, iodine and iron. Roasted coffee is starting to become pronounced. Hours after I'm getting significant graphite and pencil lead.
This is the biggest Pauillac I've had so ironically if I had anything to compare it with, Pahlmeyer and Verite La Joie are wines that come to mind, not other Pauillac or other Bordeaux such as Ch. Margaux.
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Nose is reserved but with some swirls, it is absolutely captivating. Really needs more time though, as on the palate, the wine just didn't have that oomph that the nose would suggest.
Bottle at Andrew Edmunds. Decanted for one hour. Rich blackcurrant fruit dominates. This is a concentrated wine, showing little to no sign of development yet. Really rich flavours, but will take decades to develop more. If you want a fruit driven, dense, rich wine, this is that now. But I suspect this has much much more to give in the future. Will probably peak in 15-20 years.
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Decanted 30 minutes which isn’t close to enough. Terrific nose of blackberries, herbs. The palate is massive and structured with tremendous concentration but at the same time retains its balance. This sports flavors of black and blue fruit, lead pencil and tobacco. This finishes with a very long finish and which is focused and detailed. Marvellous. I look forward to tasting this as it ages.
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dunklere Farbe, keine nennenswerte Alterung sichtbar. Viel Kirsche in der opulenten Nase, Barrique, sehr nahe an der Rosine, was mit Luftkontakt allerdings dezenter wird. Hat viel Kraft, schmeckt frischer, als der erste Naseneindruck glauben macht, bei aller Fülle ist da auch viel Struktur vorhanden. Ein sehr moderner Medoc, schon trinkbar, ich würde ihm aber trotzdem noch Zeit geben, da kommt noch mehr. 94+/100
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Four years since my first bottle, and it has opened up. Dark berries and the tannins have started to integrate. Perhaps the aftertaste could have lasted longer. I think it still will improve by further cellaring.
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Decanted for 4 hours. Beautiful garnet color. Blackberry, vanilla, raspberry, tobacco leaf, and dark chocolate on the nose and palate. Extended finish with tannins still evident. This wine still has many, many years left. I won't open another for at least 5 years.
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Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #026; Bordeaux 2005 (by DJ): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, good oak and overall really complex. On the palate dark and red berries, juicy acidity, good cassis, beautiful oak and beautifully round. Tasting fully blind I wrote down; really an extremely great wine. 96+
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Had this beside the 2013 Saffredi. PC definitely needed more time to open up, whereas the Saffredi was definitely more open from the get-go. PC (to me) won hands-down from a concentration/complexity/sapidity point-of-view, but Saffredi was the "prettier", or more elegant drink at this juncture. PC was more about "Indian Ink", leather, dark-red fruits and ripe tannins at this juncture; No doubt that this will be a great drink in time to come...
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2000-2011 Pontet Canet. Third wine in the second flight. Good full ruby-red. Complex nose. Delicious taste with black raspberry, licorice, minerals, bitter chocolate, lead pencil and cedar spice box. Very thick, but also silky.
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Still a baby but oh so delicious. Showing it's stuff more than the last bottle but I should've been a lot more patient … next bottle in at least 5-10 years.
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I didn’t find it approachable (3 hours decant). Quite tannic. Needs loooots of time (closed compared to Lynch Bages of same year, much preferred that). Nothing like the 2010 I had previously. Not sure to be honest.
We offered this the respect due and gave it five hours in the decanter ahead of Christmas dinner which was duly repaid.
Lots of black fruit and confected cherries on the nose from the get-go, with tobacco and spice emerging as time went on. Incredibly weighty on the palate but also very smooth with a medium finish. Somehow a little of this remained until Boxing Day and was still going strong with further emergence of spicy and earthy flavours. Good times.
This is clearly only just getting started and has a very long life ahead of it during which it will no doubt gain in complexity. My most recent point of comparison for this vintage was a bottle of Cos d'Estournel, just over the St Estephe-Pauillac border in close proximity to Pontet Canet and so for me is a helpful comparison. The Cos was also excellent but quite a bit more evolved than the PC and maybe a sign of things to come here.
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Outstanding. Needed (underline that) five hours decant and after that it was all the things I'd hoped. What a finish. In 10 years it'll be even better.
Drunk at my 50th. Huge, took a long decant and continued to expand over the night. Great wine with a gorgeous finish. Will be even better in another 5-10 years.
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Beautiful wine. Great purity and depth of flavors. Lots of cherry with subtle hints of exotic spices that captivate the imagination. It is so much better than the first bottle we had. Double decanted and found very little in the way of solids.
Double decanted for 2 hours Chalkyness, cherry, perfumie, finally after 40mins some wet forest floor, mushroom Ludens, some rose all nose. Very soft. Flavors rose, cherry, some chalkiness flavors Light mouthfeel, a bit tight Very light for a cab.
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75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot, 13% alcohol Before drinking, decanted for 1h Medium red, full body. Started with high acidity, difficult to approach, intense. After 3-4h decant it got a little more palatable, but still to intense. I really don’t see its potential...it’s already been 13 years and it really isn’t showing much. Maybe it needs another 10 years to soften up...
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Huge colour and much more approachable than a couple of years ago. This is still a big dense Pauillac that needed decanting. Lots of dark sumptuous ripe fruit, solid and rich, tannins are still pronounced, still a bit firm. Not sure if this will ever be elegant but no shortage of stuffing.
Weekly tasting group RWP #301: 6 great and completely different flights. (@ VD): Truly beautiful and complex bouquet with sweet spices and dark berries. On the palate still a powerful wine with dark and red berries, some bell pepper, beautiful and well integrated oak, good acidity nicely balanced by some sweetness and round, firm tannin. This wine will easily last another 2 decades, but is already a great pleasure now. 96+
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2005 Pontet Canet is rich and remains deeply colored. The tannins are soft and the firmness if youth is being replaced with more elegance. Notes of tobacco leaf, cigar box, earth and dark chocolate ride along with the fresh, blackberry and cassis. 2 hours of decanting worked its magic. But if you can wait until 2025, you’re going to have an even better experience.
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French Wine at Lunch, and with the World Cup final: Quite an engaging, approachable, nose, with ripe, moderately dark fruits. Still evidently very young in the mouth, but not as unapproachable as I was expecting, and impeccably balanced. Young claret isn't really my thing but this was more than an academic exercise to drink now (unlike the Pichon-Baron alongside).
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Opened from a half bottle chilled and poured. Tight of course and needed warmth and air. Initially herbal and sour. Fleshed out with a few days for sure. Throwing sediment. Initially I was disappointed, but that was unfair. By day three under vacuvin this had really evolved and gave me a sense of what this will be like in a few years. Initially there was some creamy vanilla cherry, and that gained depth over time to be brighter, heavier red cherry. On the nose it was very very nice from the first cork pull, showing lots of florals, rose, herbs. I think this still needs time, and will keep the other five down for several more years before trying the next.
Amazingly enough this still needs more time. I opened the bottle 4 hours before dinner. It didn’t show itself fully until day 2. Classic Pauillac nose, deep fruits, long finish. Will wait a few years for the next bottle.
This is getting there surely but oh so slowly. Love it though - as young as it still is. Tannins are under control, lovely Pauillac nose and tons of fruit on the palate. Very enjoyable now but will develop into a Grand Vin.
Consistent with prior notes: "Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window..."
This took some time to really show, would have benefited from more air upfront. Elegant and still youthful, the wine has a long way to go if wanting to cellar. Excellent
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Poured from a 375. This wine, even from 375, was really firing on all cylinders and maybe even a bit locked up for the first hour, just shows you that any vintage in the 21st century really should be locked up in the vault, not seeing the light of day for another 10 years from 375. This wine had a classic Pauillac nose. My initial thought was a young Pichon however even Pichon young seems to have more mushroom, more earthy loam and gravel and this one was just so damn smooth in its earthy notes. The wine was robust on the front, lots of earth, mushroom enhancing the youthful blackberry notes. Finished with some peppery notes. Great terroir notes. This wine was awesome, and I think I probably drank half of this while Walter drank the Spoto :)
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Ripe, glossy, and opulent--with sweet oak, fine tannins, and style--this is a crowd-pleaser and, even to the jaded, quite tasty. Still young but is absolutely drinkable now on the younger end. Has the concentration to improve further.
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Extremely dense and concentrated nose. Vanilla, oak, dark chocolate, black sappy and extracted fruit perfume with some smoke. Palate is dense, big (huge), concentrated yet quite smooth and soft. Mainly black ripe fruits, plums, blackberries, dark cherries with oak spices showing at this point (vanilla and chocolate on the palate too). At this point I must say that I am not 100% sure of this wine, and where it will go? Way to young (for my taste anyway) tonight to really tell. At this point it feels rather heavy and packed, but with time (at least 10 years) this might end up someplace very good. So my humble advise to anyone that plans to pop one of these and expect it to be fully ready to enjoy are to keep it, and wait. For a decade or two…Based on my guess and tonight show. Hard to rate, but again based on tonight’s showing I would say in a wide span of somewhere between 91 – 93 + points potential? Tonight it did not convince me.
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Decanted, and followed for 48 hours. Somewhat austere and less pleasurable than earlier tastings. I presume the argument is that it is closed. I’d not be willing to cellar for another 10 years to test that opinion. Despite this being my first note, I’ve had this wine 2-3 times previously, both formally and casually. Primary note is paulliac lead pencil, but the fruit isn’t as plush as in my memory. The wine held decently via Private Preserve™ but was at its best on the first day. In theory this is a long lived wine, but not this bottle.
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Beautiful wine - drinking in the zone. Dark in color with notes of lead pencil, dark berries, wet stone and mineral. Complex and smooth on the palate with a moderate beautiful finish. BTW - paired amazingly with grilled to medium sirloin/chuck hamburgers.
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Still a massive wine. Took it to Colorado with us from Sydney. Gave it a week or two standing up and it was still impenetrable. I doubt I will try another for 5 years min. Eventually though it should be an imposing wine with true Paulliac strength inside a velvet glove
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Still incredibly tight and tannic, though showing the stuffing to mature into a wonderful wine in due time. Bright cherries with some leather and cedar. Rich, with great acidity and lengthy, burly tannin.
Purple core with slight garnet rim. Lots of blue berries, hints of vanilla , violet and lead pencil on the nose. Acidity higher than expected but still very good balance. Lots of black fruit, liquorice and spices with well integrated tannin. Long finish. Drinking well now but will continue to improve.
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Fruit mix, juicy and spicy keys, acids but everything is much more precise here. Accurate wine just say. There is also a new layer of fruit every time, the longer you make this wine go in your mouth! Very long, Finesse and yet so full.
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Cassis, luxurious wood, ripe red and dark fruit, slight bitter and coffee. Some tobacco. Great wine, incredibly refined and harmonious. Great. Drinking nice now but has years left.
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Both lines double decanted , and drank over five hours.
2005 pichon baron: more milk chocolate, darker fruit profile, sweetness to the fruit, mocha, less structured, silky mouthfeel. 95
2005 pontet canet: Lighter fruit profile, purple and red fruits, amazing structure and acidity, not as sweet and jammy as the pichon, but beautiful, just entering it's drinking window I would say (with decant). 94
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Brought to restaurant but only decanted for 30 mins, drank over next 1.5hrs. Given the short consumption time, our notes probably doesn't give full picture. On the nose, cassis, black currant, oak, leather. Palate is dominant with fresh acidity, with some fruits, follow by earth, graphite. Tasted better at each 30 mins interval, with more fruit each time - so wine is on the way up. My guess a good 2-3 hrs decant would be best. Ok to try now if you've got multiple bottles, else check back next year at minimum
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Deep coloured ruby; great fruit on the nose - still quite primary but showing lovely complexity and a range of berried nuances intermingled with graphite. Good intensity and definition; tannins starting to resolve themselves though this is still a baby, very youthful on the palate. Very fresh acidity. Still needs time to ameliorate. Keep.
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Decanted for one hour. Feels very closed. Difficult to rate really. The nose has some beautiful, creamy and floral notes but on the palate it is completely cloaked; has a pencil led and metalic feel. This might need 10+ years.
Starts to open up after the 2nd glass. Has more charm with the third or fourth glass but really it's infanticide to try this now. There is quality but it's difficult to justify the price at this stage. That assessment might very well change a lot in like 10 years though.
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #016: Bordeaux 2005 ... How does it show now? (By VD): In the bouquet dark berries like cassis and blueberry, luxurious oak, leather and minerals like graphite. On the palate the same impressions; beautiful and ripe dark berries, mainly cassis, a lot of good and fresh acidity, leather, minerals, brushwood and some earth. Overall a full bodied, beautiful, powerful and youthful wine which can probably last for several decades. 96 - 97
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refined and elegant. can't tell if it is in a dumb phase or it is losing it's fruit. ever so slightly out of balance. it was enjoyable with braised beef and root vegetables, but not a knock out as i might have expected for the price paid.
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Opaque purple turning ruby violet at the rim with a transparent edge. The nose is so attractive and expressive with aromas of new leather, smoke, freshly-opened can of tennis balls and dried meat on black fruits. The palate is full-bodied with a fleshy texture that's tightly-wound and highly-pitched with vibrant acidity. The mid palate thins out ever so elegantly. Flavors of black currant, graphite, game, dark chocolate, pain grille and dried herbs form its core. Finishes long and dusty with a tannic grip. This is still very youthful at twelve years. Decant for at least two hours or drink from 2020 to 2035.
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C'è sicuramente una cosa vera su questo vino: ha bisogno ancora di molto tempo: minimo 5 anni, meglio 10. Appena aperto, al contrario di cosa capita di solito con i grandi bordeaux, ha regalato profumi e sapori interessanti. Man mano però si è spento o (se vogliamo dirla meglio) chiuso. Il secondo giorno è rimasto solo l'alcool a parlare. Sono perplesso.
My third vintage of this wine (2002, 2005, 2012), and this chateau seems to be going through a fast evolution. While the 2012 had lots of berries, was quite pure and too modern for me, this still shows signs of tradition and has nice, dark fruit. Needs a week of slowox. From a small bottle.
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A pleasure to share this with my father! Pop and pour. This worked well for us. Very classic notes with dark cherries, cedar, cassis, flowers, spices and minerals. So silky in the mouth, complex and perfect balance. Of course there are tannins... and they will last for years to come, but they are smooth and well integrated due to the concentration of the wine. But thanks to an impeccable balance, this is not heavy but rather plays on its elegance.
Another excellent showing for this gorgeous wine.Very similar to my previous note.Very complex nose with dark cherries,cassis,flowers,minerals, spices.Silky smooth mouthfeel,multilayered,sappy,with great balance and excellent length.Really like this hedonistic and complete wine.Outstanding ! (95+)
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Very tight still, and felt like a slight waste opening it at this point. After a couple of hours of air though the nose became a lot more expressive and a little less wound up. Dense and concentrated palette of blackberries, mocha, hints of spice. While impressively concentrated and lovely fruit in general, I'm not getting much pencil lead, graphite, funky earthiness that I love in Pauillacs (again, in comparison to the '04) and at this point seems a bit too straight forwardly fruit-driven, but I hope that changes as it would make it truly excellent.
In the end I feel that this has only evolved slightly in the last 5 years, check back in another 5-10 years.
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Much more muted than the bottle I drank 16 months ago. Must be closed / closing down. Strong structure remains, and I am sure that this will again be a stunner when it reopens for business.
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Cellared since released,perfect cork and fill.Colour:Deep garnet,just beginning to soften at the rim.A phenomenal Bordeaux in every aspect.Fantastic pure scents of dark cherries and cassis,violets and asian spices.On the palate the wine is very well balanced,with very smooth and velvety tannins,juicy acidity,great depth and excellent length.Drinking very well now with a long life ahead.A beauty ! (95+)
Decanted for about two hours. Still quite youthful although the tannins are getting softer. Excellent aroma typical for the best Bordeaux wines. Full-bodied wine with nice fruit and excellent balance. No hurry with this beauty!
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Drunk at a group tasting dinner. Opaque dark garnet, some would say purple/ black. Powerful nose that leads with graphite, some smoke and tons of minty black fruit. Still pretty tannic with a vibrant acid backbone. On the palate the black currant and black plum are predominant with what I'll call eucalyptus though that might not be quite right. Big, powerful but well balanced this wine has at least a good 15-20 years left in it.
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Genuinely thought it was corked upon opening. Three hours to coax anything out of the nose. Two hours after that, it was drinking well, if simply for what I know of PC. I was wondering if it's flawed, but I don't think so -- it's possible it's going through a dumb phase right now.
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While this was absolutely delicious, it seems this bottle was in somewhat of an awkward place. Lacking the fruit that makes it a happy dance, but also not having developed much in the tertiary that makes it mysterious.... Hold the rest for another few years.
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Drank at 67 The nose the nose the nose. It is so rich and complex with chocolate, dark fruit and hints of toffee. Wonderful palate and length. This is definitely drinking.
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Paired with tenderloin bistecca and carbonara at Il Terrazo in Victoria. Simply great. Fruit nose is predominant upon opening. Black cherries along with black liquorice and pipe tobacco backbone. Great complexity on the palate. Acid, tannins and fruit in perfect balance. This is drinking very well and I wish I was smart enough to buy some when it was released.
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Deep dark Crimson to the light, autumn bouquet of mums, currant and forest on the nose. Medium thick blend of blackberry, raisin, dark plum, and dark chocolate, all swirling in a pleasant note to the mid palate. Finish is gentle, smooth, and velvety but there is a delayed acidity and wet stone tint which takes away from perfect finish. But a lovely wine to accompany a filet mignon which was the occasion tonight.
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Borrowing from my prior notes: "Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window. Tannins still a little grippy, so it shows that it has long aging potential from here"
This was more fruit driven than the other vintages tasted this evening, WOTN for some of the group (my #2 behind the 2000). Elegant but still very youthful, will drink at a high level for some time
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Intense, masculine, instigating and vibrating. Powerful nose of raspberries, sweet cherry pie, vanilla, along with a chemical air reminding of resin. Complex, varying from licorice to minerals. Fierce presence on palate, opulent and acidic, with vibrating tanins, delivering us a mind blowing combo of blackberry, cherry, bitter chocolate, salinity and all sorts of spices, leading to an upstanding, almost frightening, finish. Though it's 11 years old now, feels so young and vivid it sure makes us wonder where is it heading to. For now an easy 95. 95-97
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Bigger and bolder, which is standard for the vintage. But this is starting to shed that baby fat and is probably juuuuust entering a dumb phase. I would recommend waiting at least 5, probably 10 and more like 20+ years before opening another bottle (depending on how many bottles you have). This has terrific structure and you can sense the fruit underneath - plum, pencil shavings and darker fruit. For what this was 5 years ago though, it is starting to move to the austere side of the ledger. Hard to see this emerging from that phase for several years.
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Took to share at party in WW. Liked it a lot that night, but last glass at home on Monday seemed very 2005 to me, lots of furry tannins on the finish. This is still very young.
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Weekly tasting group #207; Spain: Rioja vs Ribera del Duero plus one great pirate! (@ RW): In the bouquet sweet and ripe blackberries and blueberries, chamomile, smoke and coffee. On the palate dark and red forest fruits, sweet licorice, beautiful acidity and round tannin with still a soft but good bite. Beautiful wine already, but it is not showing yet the complexity and finesse which it holds in store. Wait until 2022 at least! 93+ for this evening.
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Opened this right when we got to the restaurant and didn't touch it until about 2 hours later and still the fact that we were 'baby-killing' was pretty obvious. The wine has lots of great promise and I found myself continuously coming back to it (drank next to a '96 Ducru and a '94 La Mouline), but it's nowhere near peak yet. Maybe my second favorite of the night more from promise. This is going to be a great wine.
Still too young. Decanted for 9 hours. The wine started to become more approachable. The nose is very focus and concentrated blue fruits rounded with a bit of creamy vanilla. On the palate, it is so elegant and balanced. This is a huge mistake for me to open it now. The lesson learned is that patience is definitely required for seeing the full power of Pontet-Canet. However, although it is still too early to drink, the wine really lacks excitement factor. In this epic vintage, you really want more from this highly recommended winery. (At prime, probably can reach 93)
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Still a baby right now. Showed hints of its potential but best to let this sleep for a while. This is a lovely wine though, and I am sure it will be magical with time.
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Had it together with Pavie Macquin `05 and Casanova di neri tenuta nuvona `10 with a Elk Dinner. The Bordeaux was in a another League. Both the Pontet Canet and the Pavie Maquin was really tight, altough the the Pontet Canet was surprisingly more open after Approc Three hours in the decanter.
Really Clear Pauillac aromas and taste. This wine give you a Clear assumption to the greater area in Western Bordeaux.
Full bodied with a really long taste of darker berries, liquorice, and violet. I loved it, but the Pavie Mac`was a marginal the leading horse this night. 95-96p. Would develop nicely the next decades.
Full bodied wine with aromas who jump out of the glas. A Really long taste of Earth, Blackberry and Liquorice.
This wine would develop for decades. I bought two more bottles - this wine is a Winner!
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Fantastic wine with lots of life left. Color is deep , opaque, and with red edges. Nose is a bit shy with smoke, black pepper, spice, plum, black fruit, and just a bit of eucalyptus. Palate is rustic and has a graphite texture that is both powerful and a bit rustic. This wine is still not showing much development and needs another ten years or a lot more. As it is, it's working very well with a spicy cassoulet. Love this wine.
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Decanted 8 hours for Christmas dinner. It needed all of it. I would hold off for another 5 years unless you have a case. I do think this will evolve into a special wine and am looking forward watching it evolve.
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Definitely not ready yet. Never really opened during the 3 hours we consumed it. Not much nose or finish - just too tight. Ripe, dark berry fruits with oak, spice & earth. Medium body with good concentration and still very primary flavors. Not much depth or complexity yet, but will likely be really terrific in 5+ years.
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Young and vibrant with loads of cassis and structure. Just beginning to to show a little integration. I only tasted because I have 14 more, and plan to keep most under cork for decades to come.
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Klar, dyp, mørk rød. Mørk, forførende nese med bjørne- og solbær, blyantspiss, cedar og hint av kaffe. Mørk, konsentrert, tørr, strukturert frukt med nydelig dybde og subtil sødme. Frisk, spisset syre. Milde, fokuserte tanniner med et lett bitt. Tørr utgang med flott lengde.
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Sorry, new world wines deliver much more bang for the buck than this over valued French wines. It was tasted blind and a Nicolas Catena Zapata beat the crap out of the Pontet. Nice wine, but for $125 I can definitely think of much more delicious options, specially new world beauties.
Vertical tasting of Pontet Canet 2003-2012. Hardly any sign of evolution in terms of colour - still very dark. Lots of pure black fruit on the nose, showing more depth than the two previous vintages. A hint of cough drops. Some oak is still evident. On the palate very powerful, firm structure, but the tannins are round and ripe. The balance is impressive. Super long. Too young still, but approachable. 95-96+
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19th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Chez Lyon in Eugene, OR): WOTFlight, this was BIG, dark, and deep with stone notes vying with the cassis, blackberry, earth, and cedar. Tannic and long. Wait, decant (we did 17 hours), and wait some more. Next in 2-3 years. 93 on day 2.
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Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window. Tannins still a little grippy, so it shows that it has long aging potential from here
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2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): Now ten years old, this wine still has a saturated, opaque crimson/ruby color. Ripe black currant, blackberry, kirsch and crushed rock aromas are followed by a full-bodied palate, with similar black fruit flavors which are flanked by smoke, graphite and allspice. Fresh, seamlessly alcoholic and gushing with sweet tannins, it builds in the middle and closes with a lengthy, albeit tannic finish. This gorgeous wine is nowhere near plateau. Patience will be rewarded here! Drink 2020-2050.
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deep dark garnet and somewhat viscous. packed with grippy ripe fruit and still very primary. At this point the wine is clearly not ready to drink. As the pros say, this wine needs to sleep a long time. reserve judgement.
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Bought retail in 2008 and stored in natural cellar. Even with 3 hours air and for someone who likes wines young, this is not ready. Great, complex nose - powerful blackcurrant with more redcurrant over time, some liquorice, exotic spice. Fleshy palate. Bitter. Disjointed. Tannin dominates. Darker than the nose. Needs food. Great wine here but give it at least 5 years.
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Allowed to aerate in medium bowl decanter for 1 hour at room temp. Absolutely stunning nose of crushed vanilla pod, red licorice, candied raspberry, and pencil shavings. Consumed from a GabrielGlas universal stem. Not quite as exciting on the palate as the bouquet would suggest. Slight dark fruit but muted in intensity. Picking up some bramble, leather, and dark cherry. Tannin is still not fully integrated on the medium finish. Quite smooth and refined although it doesn't quite deliver that special feeling. Easily has 5-10 years ahead to improve on its pedigree.
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Best showing of this yet. Absolutely killer bottle of wine. Perfect nose of red licorice and blackberries surrounded by so much more. Great balance, excellent texture to it, long lingering finish that completely coats the mouth. This is terrific and needs 10 years at least but worth popping now if you have a few as it will not disappoint.
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Fantastic fruity nose. Had a bit of a high alcohol taste to it, but not enough to interfere with the other flavors in the glass. Tannins need a bit more time.
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Dark color and leathery aroma upon pouring. Very nice structure and depth of fruit, with blackberry, cassis, and mineral notes. Tannins still prominent, but should soften and improve with more cellar time.
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Full bodied and intense, this mouth filling, luscious treat is packed with layer after layer of rich, dark, dense, perfectly ripe fruits, soft, refined tannins and the stuffing and structure to age and evolve for decades. You can drink it now, but I’m waiting another 5 years before I start popping corks.
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SLDS May 2015: Plum and cherry along with a backing of cedar. Good minerality on the palate keeps the plush fruit fresh. Still feels bold overall, this should be cracking given enough time.
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Quick note from a friends 50th bday party. Such old world structure for days. Rustic frame with dust, saddle leather, spice fruit, ceder box and earth.
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2005 Bordeaux Retrospective (Morrell Wine, 1 Rockefeller Plaza): The nose was dark and rich, showing intense red berry, minerals, soil, herbs, cedar and tobacco. Still incredibly youthful on the palate with firm textures moving in dense waves across the senses, giving only a brief glimpse of this wine’s massive dark red fruits, spice, herbal tea tones, minerals and soil. The Ponet Canet’s structure remained in control throughout the finish, yet there’s so much balance and intensity here, hence its potential.
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Nose was a bit muted, only showing a hint of red fruits and some oak. Others said it was much better on opening, but with a decant this was underwhelming. Chalky tannins, medium red fruits on the palate.
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2005 Bordeaux Tasting: Much riper than the grand puy lacoste and pichon baron that were tasted in parallel. Nose is almost overpowering. Fresher on the palate than you'd expect after the nose. Kicks in quite hefty but them somehow looses the grip in the mid-palate and seem a little hollow. Does not come close to what the pichon has to offer. 98 points seem high and I don't expect a higher rating when Mr. Parker revisits this in April 2015.
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This was surprisingly backward and reserved. This needs a fair amount of time to breath. Decanting was helpful but what this relatively young wine really needs is time sitting in the glass.
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Blackberry, licorice, and crushed rock on the nose. Flavors of currant and spice on the palate. Silky, sexy, sweet. Pauillac at its best. Decanted, but didn't need to. Drinking surprisingly well now.
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Beautiful color that only Bordeaux seems to achieve. Reticent nose can get some wood spices and occasional a whif of pure fruit. The bottle could be damaged. Palate has heavy set fruit, espresso, dried currants with sticky tannins to last for a long time. Finishes medium with sweet fruit new oak and tannins.
Nach 5-6 Stunden im Dekanter kam ordentlich Frucht durch, hielt sich aber nicht allzu lange. Eindeutige Fruchtvergeudung in diesem Stadium... aber natürlich jammern auf hohem Niveau
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Dark, purple appearance. Pronounced cassis and vanilla nose. Some sweet spice and cool, blueberry note. A little roasted vegetable. Still very primary. Luscious fruit up front, very silky, with a slight hole in the mid-palate but long finish. Improved considerably on the 2nd day but needs another 5-10 years.
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This wine gives up typical pencil shavings blackcurrant black cherries olives spice incense cigar box and eucalyptus notes. It is full bodied and elegant. It is still young and Parker suggests 2017-2040. First pour Coravin. Decantered 1 -1.5 hours. Drunk at 16 degrees C. NS
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HDH Bordeaux Auction; 10/31/2014-11/1/2014 (Chicago, IL): From magnum. There's a distinctly Californian feel to this wine, with its jammy dark fruit and slight tinge of sweetness on the palate. There's also a brick wall of tannin, of course, and this is obviously a real baby at this point. Drinking this now feels like punching yourself in the head. Despite the piles of fruit and apart from the tannins, this wine does appear to have some structure, which I hope will be in better display once the overt ripe fruit elements are shed. Not bad, especially for a wine that's such a darling of Parker's.
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Dense, thick, double woven, this is a spicy beast PACKED with gobs and gobs of ripe to the last drop fruit on the verge of spoilage (in a good way). Too much going on to pick through and try and describe. In closing I will say, this seems much more like a giant St. Emillion, full of merlot. This is bold, MUSCULAR, and may be on steroids. Lots of structure to support a long, long, long life. JUST entering APPROACHABILITY, but don't touch it for another 7 years...Ohhhhmmmmmmmm
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Decanted for 3+ hours. Still very young. A bit too much acidity for me. This wine has a lot of potential. I'm sure it will be even better in 5-10 years.
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Decanted about 2 hours. Medium to heavy weight. Red licorice, cherry, nice soft cherry nose. Quite dark red color. Great cherry flavors, nice juiciness on the mouthfeel. Acid and tannins strong. A bit of tobacco flavors. Nice light gaminess flavors. A bit of blueberry on the nose. A bit of dust and strawberry flavors. Quite sophisticated flavors, but super young. I am looking forward to trying this wine in 10 years. This should become something really special.
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The first of the great vintages for Alfred Tesseron at Pontet Canet is starting to show its stuff. Great concentration, soft, refined tannins, a long finish with soft, sweet, lush fruits. As good as this is now, and it is good, it's only going to get better with more time in the bottle...
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Not offering up much on the nose and the powerful fruit this wine used to have in its young days is now gone. No secondary notas as of yet and its not come together. i Believe this wine is in a bad Place right now and still have hopes for it to come along and be the wine I thought it would be.
Dinner at C's (Singapore): Second flight. This seemed slightly flawed as I was getting some cardboard on the palate here. Compared to the 09, this obviously does not have the lush fruit (anymore) but the medium tannins have a long way to soften. Wait at least 3-4 years. NR
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Pontet Canet vertical 2000-2010: Dark purple. Reserved nose of earth, cedar wood, some black fruit and pine tree. On the palate medium bodied with a slightly acidic touch and pronounced tannins, a bit drying. Not dissimilar to the 2000. Aroma wise quite linear and restraint, definitely Needs another 5 years here. How will this turn out? Let's see. My guess is good but not outstanding. 92-94
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I opened this with some trepidation, given that the 2005 haven't been drinking well for me until recently and I wanted to give it a shot. Unquestionably a great wine! Somewhat surprisingly, to me it already drinks well, if given some time to decant. Pontet Canet is a fantastic Chateau and the 2005 is actually a great value given the recent price increases due to the back to back 100 point ratings of the 2009 and 2010.
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Pontet-Canet Vertical: Colour very deep red/black. Bouquet very closed and limited, some black berry fruits, liquorice, anise and flint. On palate, immediately, very, very primary, and shut down. Only fractionally less shut down than the 2010. Huge structure, fruit weight and concentration but, to me, all in proportion. Very precise. Suave, very fine grained and firm tannins. Vibrant flavours of pure cassis and cherry liqueur with cinnamon and lead pencil. Classic Pauillac. Very intense on the back palate. A fellow taster described this wine as massively structured and out to lunch. I agree with the first part and am assessing it largely on potential but think this a great cellar wine, that has all of the ingredients in place for the future. My WOTN. Don't look at this for 10 years though, preferably 20.
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Chateau Pontet Canet Vertical Tasting Wine Dinner with Melanie Tesseron (Nicolas Le Restaurant): Deep red core, powerful and very concentrated nose, lots of dark fruits and wonderful rich cassis, still very primary and fresh. Just showing a light hints of tobacco and floral notes. Vanillin oak is integrating well too. Soft and elegant on entry, with blackcurrant and black licorice. More development on palate than the nose and getting ready. Polished mouth-feel with lively acidity and spicy aftertaste. It has a very good grip on the long lovely finish. One of my favourite wine for tonight.
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Need decanting or at very least popping the cork for a few hours. a classic Pauillac with crush stone, lead pencil, vanilla and load of berries and black fruits.
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Decanted for three hours, utilizing a funnel. The amounts of crushed blueberry, anise and tobacco leaf are apodictic, and then follows crushed rock, lotus extract, white pepper and mulberry. Very polished; very chiseled in every form of the word ... then the long and sleek finish really captures every vinous impulse. She has undoubedtly improved in the five years since we last met, however, do not be afraid to lay her to slumber for many, many years. Drink 2016 -.
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Incredibly young and shut down, even after being open for several hours before drinking. Wasn't giving up a whole lot but shows some good promise with a deeply concentrated nose that was nicely balanced with good acidity. Would not touch another bottle for 5 years. Will be great in 10.
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Hypnotic flinty terroir seamlessly mingles with deep purple fruits and bright floral top notes. Firing on all cylinders this is a lovely and delicious wine just beginning to come into its own.
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This wine needs at least 75 minutes in the decanter to open up. When it does it offers blackcurrant,tomato vine,pencil shavings and cigar box. In the background is manure and earth. Lots of tannin. It has a classical feel. Elegant and balanced you can't stop drinking. NS
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Popped the cork about 4 hrs before, no decant. Paired with nice Filet steaks. Exquisite and elegant with a great smooth finish. We drank along side a Cayuse "God Only Knows" grenache which also was very nice. Cayuse was all barnyard but good.
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Well perfumed cassis, plum, and tobacco on the nose. Big tart cherry impressions finished with oak and medium+ acidity. Robust mouth coating tannins, but approachable. Classy wine, with a good future ahead.
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Verticale Pontet Canet le 19.10.2013 @ Genève en présence de M. Tesseron, propriétaire du Château.
Le 2005 est un millésime magique. Pontet Canet nous présente là un vin très fin avec une très belle longueur en bouche. Journées chaudes et nuits fraiches ont permis à la vigne de rendre un très bel équilibre. Ce vin présente une belle acidité, ce qui lui permettra de tenir dans le temps. Il est déjà somptueusement agréable mais il serait dommage de l'ouvrir maitenant étant donné le potentiel mirobolant qu'il a encore devant lui. Bravo. PS: suis ravi de commencer ma collection Pontet Canet avec ce millésime... d'autres suivront, c'est sûr!
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Decanted 3 hours before meal. Mid -ruby in glass with nose of cedar, red plums and smoke with almonds coming up sides of glass
On palate, neat structure that is not nearly as overwhelming as some of early professional notes indicated. Layers of fruit, tannins that linger but are much more integrated than many Pauilllacs. A structured, balanced blend where ripe fruit is evident but not up front.
What bordeaux ought to be
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The 2005 Pontet-Canet is medium purple in colour with an expressive, youthful nose of liquorice, roasted coffee, ripe plums and slight chocolates. A calm entry on the palate of primary fruit flavours slowly reaching a mid-palate climax of bursting juicy purple berries, blackcurrants with underlying roasted coffee.
Tannins are mouth-coating. A wine with elegant and smooth drive. Well-layered and complex with flavours being very well integrated. Bold tannin structure but beautifully balanced. Great style and depth in the wine displaying youth and an acidity that almost “blends” in the wine, on a prolonged finish.
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Siyaha yakın tonlar taşıyan bordo renkli bu son derece tipik şarabın ön burnunda yer alan yeni açılmış kalem,casis,kiraz ve hafif ahududu aromaları,arkadan gelen mineral,çikolata,et,grafit ve sonradan çıkan tütün tonları ile uyum içinde .Damakta yumuşak,tam gövdeli, tanen yapısındaki olgunluk belirgin derecede ve diri olan asidi ile dengeli.Tüm bunlar alınan erik ,mineral ve baharat nüansları ile birlikte ciddi bir konsantrasyonu işaret ediyor.Gayet uzun olan bitişinde gösterdiği denge,ancak elegan bir şarapta mümkün olabilir.
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Siyaha yakın tonlar taşıyan bordo renkli bu son derece tipik şarabın ön burnunda yer alan yeni açılmış kalem,casis,kiraz ve hafif ahududu aromaları,arkadan gelen mineral,çikolata,et,grafit ve sonradan çıkan tütün tonları ile uyum içinde .Damakta yumuşak,tam gövdeli, tanen yapısındaki olgunluk belirgin derecede ve diri olan asidi ile dengeli.Tüm bunlar alınan erik ,mineral ve baharat nüansları ile birlikte ciddi bir konsantrasyonu işaret ediyor.Gayet uzun olan bitişinde gösterdiği denge,ancak elegan bir şarapta mümkün olabilir.
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My first ever PC and what a delight. The aroma is really fabulous and on tasting it has a wonderful elegance underpinned by a strong backbone. Was interesting to drink this alongside a 2007 Peter Michael Les Pavots (a top Californian Bordeaux blend) and although I actually scored that a little higher, the PC was more classy and was also simply stunning. What a treat to be able to drink those two wines.
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Dark garnet color. Day 2 notes: Bountiful nose of cassis, oak, red fruit. Palate is similar with additional notes of raspberry, tobacco, cherry. Tannins are still firm indicating many years of cellaring potential. Nice long finish that never bitters. While this wine has the chops to go the distance, it drinks very well following a couple hours of being decanted. Elegant.
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93+ pts....Score dropped a little bit as this didn't hit me as well this time, but could have been that I tasted it by the glass at a wine bar. Either way it is still really great, so unique - sour cherries, currant, a bit medicinal and candy like. Huge sweet and firm tannins, this thing really does need more time, but delicious now as well. Price is still way too high though.
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If you're willing to wait through the , "un-giving stage" as I feel this extraordinary wine is in, the 05' PC, you will be rewarded with the secondary and tertiary aromas & flavors that we know classified Bordelaise wines can deliver. By no means do I preach that you can't drink them now, after all, we are all mortal. But maybe wait a little bit and quaf a a few of these 05's while you wait a bit for the big guys to flesh out.
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Quite muted on open - took at least an hour to open up. Plums and cedar on the nose.Nice balance in the mouth, the tannins still a bit grippy but decent acidity for the vintage.
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Delicious. I decanted, but too briefly. Rich full and enticing nose. Tannins firm but not harsh. Nice earth and fruit - will develop into a beautiful wine - I opened a few years too early. But boy was it enjoyable with a Zachary's pizza
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It is almost appalling to read the lesser reviews of this iconic wine. There comes a point where subjectivity becomes just plain wrong...
This is a blockbuster powerhouse that will re-define your definition of tannin. The 05 Pontet is built to last the long haul for sure, and should easily turn out to be a 40+ year wine. Still young and inky, the wine possesses globs of rich fruit - creme de cassis, red currant, blackberry, blueberry and wild cherry - vibrant mineral notes, and everything else that screams Pauillac in a classic wine from a ripe vintage. The balance is impeccable, and the acidity keeps it fresh. All and all, this is a wine for your children..but please pop open a bottle or two before you pass it off to see what great, fresh young bordeaux is supposed to taste like.
Finding an argument in Alfred Tesseron's biodynamic approach to wine making is literally impossible when you taste his modern day legends after taking the realm in '94. In the golden age for bdx (2000-present), he is one of the leaders year in and year out, and this aristocratic 2005 also offers hedonists the opportunity to get lost in the moment.
Do not look for a overblown california fruit bomb here. This is power and finesse to the highest degree. Impeccable in every way. If you do not like the style, you still would not be able to make the argument that this juice is anything but extraordinary.
As a footnote, somebody said something to the effect of 'beware, this wine may not age well' or something like that... what a rookie.
Fantastic wine and great representative of the landmark 2005 vintage - and of course still evolving.
Nice deep and darkish purple color - Heavy on the Cabernet side and shows its power. Great finish that reveals a wonderful cherry flavor. Would be great with many food pairings or as I drank it on its own. This will only get much better..Great one to sit on for many years to come.
As much as I liked it, I'd like to note that this wine in particular the price is getting a little out of control..I picked up a couple bottles at Costco several years ago for around $95, but recently saw it going for $195 at Total Wine....Would be hard to justify buying that price even if it is an 05'.
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From 375ml. Quite a bit better than when last tasted 3+ years ago (same size). Dark purple colour. Very classy nose of fruit liqueur. dense and ripe on palate with blackcurrant, some tannins and a long finish which has hints of smoke and graphite. I would guess this still needs 3years+ in the small format and longer for standard bottles.
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--- COLOR: Deep garnet-purple, almost opaque NOTE: Second-best PC to date for me. The nose is delightfully rich with boysenberry liqueur, dark cocoa, Saigon cinnamon, nutmeg, cherry pipe tobacco, vanilla bean and just a slight tinge of heat. Mouth is med-heavy weight and has a nice proportion of fruit to structure, where the fruit becomes more fresh juice (boysenberry/blackberry, blueberry) and the structure becomes more mineral-driven than ash/leaf/smoke. This thing tastes like a baby and could go another 10 years easy, but I don't see it improving any. A lot of stuffing to be sure, but the finish is where it disappoints because it becomes a dirty ashtray filled with ripe black fruit juice. At least it lasts a good 30 seconds and almost approaches a hint of opulence.
I still don't understand the outrageous professional scores for wines like this as they don't provide nearly the satisfaction of similarly priced Bordeaux-blends from anywhere else in the world. Maybe it's like what my dad says about Scotch. You have to smoke cigars to kill your palate enough to enjoy some of the grittier ones. I think that may be going on with some of these lead tasters in Bordeaux (esp when you see them contributing to Cigar Afficionado).
DECANT: 2-3 hours GLASS USED: Bordeaux TASTE: 9.1 OTHER: COST: 83 VALUE: 3.0 PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a TRY AGAIN: 2015 - 2025 PAIRING: n/a Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net ---
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It's a bit early to drink this 2005 Pontet Canet. All the 2005s seem to be taking a long time to develop, and this wine is no different. It started out a bit thin, but opened up nicely over the course of about an hour. The wine really shined when we started eating. It went very well with the lamb dish at Cafe Basso in Norwalk. While the wine is a bit light bodied, it is smooth, elegant and complex. In an word, it was gorgeous and will clearly improve with some age. My 94 rating doesn't reflect the upside potential in quality here, so I would expect the rating to go up. While I didn't buy this for investment purposes, it has done quite well - up 70% in value since 2006! I will try the next bottle in one year.
Truly a blockbuster wine. This is equal parts concentration and personality in this beauty. The cassis, coffee and chocolate scented perfume get your attention. The mountain of black fruit sliding from the glass over your palate is a treat. There is a lot to like about this wine and while prices have risen, for a wine this good, it's still a bargain.
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Inky dark purple color, and a little reticent on the nose, there is a lot of fruit in here, but it is barracaded behind a big stoney tannic wall, even after being open 24 hours, and shakenin the bottle, it didn't budge. Interesting to try, as you might guess, this one is not even close to being ready.
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2000-2009 vertical of Chateau Pontet-Canet, with Alfred Tesseron (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London): The beauty of youth. Red fruit on the nose, quite primary and young interlaced with floral notes . A hint of caramel too. Such a lovely open Nose Vibrant and fresh on the palate, with firm tannins but with no wall of youth full harsh tannin and one could enjoy it even at this stage. Supple , good ripeness, complex and with a long finish. Once again true to form on the balance and elegance that goes with PC wines. Good to drink now for the fruit fwd palate, but this has easily 5yrs to reach its peak and can last for a long long time. 94 now but easily in the high 90s as it evolves.
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Pontet Canet Dinner (Texture London): This really is still in its youth but the nose really hits you with waves of fruit and caramel. Lovely smooth mouth with integrated tannins. Long length.
Good now and will get better.
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DRank with Pat and Jen in NM....Decanted for about an hour. Bright and overly acidic at first, but rounded into better shape after some additional time. Wet earth, dark fruit on the nose - a bit closed. Dark fruit, cocoa, very fine dusty tannins. Nice balance. Not as happy as last bottle.... Wait on remaining bottles.
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will be hard to explain, this wine is like to be a soothsayer ( by the way, i ´m not one of those ). today i think its not even close to be drinkable, at least ten more years, acidity takes it all. you can feel the flavors the wine will have some day, but, for only half a second, after that your tongue begin to twist like when you put lemon on an living snail. ( i now is weird but i will buy more, not wait only 10, but 20 years to really see if the wine experts are right or not )
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Beautiful wine that has everything going for it--fruit ,structure, finish--and it is all in balance. I loved drinking it though i kept looking for the Pauillac/Bordeaux terroir and found little...perhaps i am nitpicking?
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Tight intrusive tannins leaving acidity in the end stages. High earth and mineral content. I'll let my other bottles sit for 5 more years but I'm not optimistic that this wine will live up to its marks.
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Pretty much in line with the other reviews.... A gorgeous wine. Perfect balance. Stunning aroma - I could just smell it for hours. Very long complex finish. To think it should get even better!
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This was an impressive wine. 100% new french oak barrels but didn't over oak the wine at all. I mean you would have never thought new oak was used. It was silky smooth and extremely complex. The rich black fruit on the front end was gorgeous with power throughout the mid palate as well as finesse. The finish was long and delicious. You could literally sit there and smell this wine and continually spot new things to talk about. YUM.... drink now or hold for a long while!
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New year's eve dinner, bottle was opened an hour before drinking over the next couple hours. A dense and massive wine which hints at its potential, but remained somewhat unyielding during the time we gave it. Dark, concentrated black fruit, mocha, toasted oak, spice, with a nose to go along with it.
I can see how its approaching a napa-like quality, but not candied by any means. I did not get a good sense of its Pauillac nature ("graphite"?) compared with the 04 at this stage ... perhaps that'll come with age. There's is no hint of hotness and everything is in balance. Hands off the rest for many years!
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Awesome wine. Just as good as everyone says it is. Initially could be mistaken for a Napa wine until you dig into the secondary elements of lead pencil and earth hiding behind the rather impressive fruit profile. This should age well and really be an awesome experience in another 5-10 years.
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Dark chocolate and raspberry liquer on the nose with black pepper. This is a deep, powerful, muscular wine. Chocolate, plums, gripping tannins, with raspberries and a touch of violets emerging on the finish. Somewhat flabby texture. Very smooth. Drunk with Stash in Houston.
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A group tasting and this and the '82 Pesquera Riserva were the wines of the night to me. At each end of the spectrum. This youthful wine had everything except the soft edges of maturity. Lots of swilling in the glass helped.
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CT Texas Offline III; 11/18/2011-11/19/2011 (Galveston): Much lighter than I thought it would be. Still dark stone fruits, with hints of peach pit. But more refined than the 2004 for some reason. Still lots of bitter astringency that needs years and years to settle out to a silky smoothness. No idea what this wine will turn in to. But imagine it will be pretty wonderful in 20 years.
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CT Texas III; 11/18/2011-11/21/2011 (Galveston, TX): Poured through vinturi and allowed to decant for one hour. This is definitely shut down hard. Not giving up much on the nose or palate, Everything is walled off by tannins at this point. I believe this will be a great wine someday, but today, I can't even score it.
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"Does price matter?" Blind Tasting (Roberts House, Philadelphia PA): tasted blind in flight of 3 LB bordeaux. black pepper, smoke, dark berry fruit. nice tannic profile. this was tough to taste blind at the moment -- there are signs of the wine's quality, but i preferred the cantenac brown. misidentified as the mid-range.
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Blind Price Test (Our House (2033 Brandywine)): With time, this is going to prove to be an absolutely stunning bottle of wine. Still a bit austere on this night. It took some time to open up. Darker fruit slowly emerged. Framed by fine tannins. Cocoa powder, dark berries and cigar box nose and palate. I was surprised because this was not a jammy fruit bomb as some have come to say about Pontet-Canet. There was good acidity to this and a touch of mineral cutting through the fruit. All in all, it was well balanced. The next bottle should not see the light of day for at least 3 years, probably longer.
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Violet color. Interesting nose of barnyard, cedar, menthol and developing dark fruit. Palate showed red cherry and ripe blueberry with pleasant acidity accented by mineral and spice box components. Long finish. The journey from nose to finish was perfectly orchestrated. A wow wine worthy of an unapologetic 97 rating.
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dont know why i keep testing these bottles - they are totally shut down (drank over 2 days). not sure how others are able to rate them. caution by the big scores on CT.
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no formal note, but after a few hours this is a profound wine with an incredible richness and surprising accessibility. i can't wait to see this in 20 years time.
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Absolutely amazing. Decanted for a couple of hours and it didn't change much from my initial taste when I first opened the bottle. The nose was a little more powerful with the air time. Earthy nosed mixed in with some dark fruit. Really dark in colour. Brilliant fruit on the palate with a really loooooong finish. Only got a small taste, but truly memorable. I think this has at least a decade of cellar time. Enjoy!
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One of the stand-out wines from the whole week for me. Absolutely tremendous truffled dark fruit nose. Fresh and clean fruit, pinpoint balance, rich and concentrated with dazzling finnesse. Very long. If you missed it (as I did) then go get some!
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CellarTracker Bordeaux Trip; 5/23/2011-5/26/2011 (Bordeaux, France): The nose really stole the show here, truly wonderful. Captivating floral aromas upfront, along with prune, dark dried fruits, earth, currant, then giving way to fresh red and black berries. Gorgeous depth on the nose. Palate was a bit tight and not giving too much, especially compared to how open the nose was, although this was to be expected considering how young this is. More violet on the palate, along with black cherry, blackberry, a touch of blueberry, and some tart red plum. Plenty of silky tannins, lots of acidity, yet not overwhelming, and extremely dry. Long finish, with notes on blackberry at the end. Fantastic.
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NOSE: expressive; plum; cinnamon; hint of black raspberry on the finish; a completely beguiling and intoxicating Nose. Stunning.
TASTE: intense palate of purple berries shows incredible balance: nice acidity, ample tannins, and the 13% alc. is not noticeable. Finish was long, but not very intense as this wine is still wound quite tightly. Really a gorgeous wine. This was one of my favorite wines of the entire trip. My score may be a tidge conservative.
CT Bordeaux Trip, Day 1 (Pauillac, Bordeaux, France): Brilliant - this tasting confirmed my impression of the wine at UGC two years ago. What an incredible nose. Earth, loam, truffly mushrooms, plums, cassis, flowers, a little layer of oak, sweet spices - deep reservoirs of wonderful aromas, so much going on. The palate was absolutely beautiful too. There was pure, pure fruit - tons of fresh wild berries, dark cherries, cassis, with a bit of bramble, some truffle hints. Lovely stuff. There was lots of power here, but it was always the amazing elegance and integration on the wine that stood out. There was lots of finesse from the attack to the long, satiny finish, where fine tannins coated the mouth slightly. Still a very young wine, but this is bursting with potential. Really top-notch.
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Mellow nose of funk, earth, morrel cherries, plums, and graphite. Soft on entry over midpalate, though tannins were still a bit coarse. Very nice, but lacked charm and/or charisma.
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Decanted several hours. Some grape must and smoke on the nose, in an otherwise fairly subdued bouquet. Tight, dry and austere, not revealing much at this point. Mouth, dominated by tannins and wood. As RP says, an "Arnold Schwarzeneggar-like structure". Others noticed pepper, notes of toast and cherry. Clearly, still in its infancy. Enough acid and tannin to last decades.
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Very dark colour. Great nose! Elegant with perfume and the purest red fruit. Tannic, tight and acidic on the palate. Despite this, it's very good, complex and elegant wit great fruit. Way too young, so I can't really rate it, but I suppose around 90 would be about right at the moment. Potential for much more, though.
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Popped and decanted for 90 minutes out of a 375 ml. As before, classic Bordeaux nose. Less tannic than expected. Well structured and full bodied as before. Should be great for many years.
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Wow. Massive intensity of fruit (a little blacker than the cassis seen En Primeur) and the elevage was big: lots of oak here and a distinct pencil undertone. This is very, very big and needs a long time to settle down. Almost undrinkable now, but what potential in 15-20 years time. DO NOT TOUCH before 2018!! 92++++/100
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Very jammy with tons of fruit and tannins but not the kind of Bordeaux I like. Its like a wine from Southern Rhone or even a new world wine. A disapointment
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From 375ml and decanted 6hrs. Brilliant ruby color. initially, pure clean fruit driven nose of cassis and cherry, with creamy vanilla and mocha coming out in time. Palate is polished, balanced, and incredibly focused. Incredibly tannic, but with finest soft tannins I've ever experienced. Lots of red fruits on the palate with pure cassis and black cherry flavors. Lengthy fine finish of cedar box quickly overshadowed by the strong tannic structure. While enjoyable now with food, the tannins hide a great wine underneath. Needs a lot of time but should be incredible. 93+
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Popped and decanted for 3 hours. Classic aromatic Bordeaux nose. Well structured and complex; full bodied and concentrated on the palate. Best descriptors would be earthiness and pencil shavings. The fruit was less obvious and difficult to appreciate but dark fruit predominated. Clearly this is a young Bordeaux and with time will be a superb and stunning.
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Kids pool luncheon party (Bunny and Peggy's house in Stanley): nice perfume nose of sweet earth, graphite and a touch of vanilla. muscular structure with magnificent concentration and formidable tannins. no doubt this will last for at least 50+ years but for now it is a bit backward and lags behind the exotic and aromatic 2003.
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The OC Blind Crew (Kimera--Irvine, CA): Of the whole flight (Montelena, Pichon Longueville and Montrose), this Canet was the biggest, most plump of the group. Really terrific balance, mineral, some tannin and a long finish. I can understand why this wine is so well liked.
Opened this as a bit of an experiment. V/worried that is was going to be far too early. I was pleasantly surprised. Popped and poured. Closed on the nose intially but opened up beautifully in the glass after a 1/2 hr. Well balanced, noticeable dark fruits, round full body with a 30+ second finish. Tannins were there but hardly overwhelming. Drank over 2 days. 5 bottles left.
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This is the best sub-$100 '05 Bordeaux around. It needs to be decanted for at least 8 hours to drink, but then it really provides a great drinking pleasure. Tannins are big, but silky. The fruit is dark blackberry, licorice, and plums with leather and charcoal around the edges. Long smooth finish, no heat. Our host opened another bottle after this one was kicked and was shut-down, just like the bottle I opened before the decanting. This will only get better.
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Pontet-Canet Vertical with Alfred Tesseron, Kevin Zraly, and Sherry Lehmann (Four Seasons Restaurant, Manhattan): Go to the head of the class. While the 1996 for me was the wine of the night, this wine is clearly on a different level from everything else this evening. A nose that makes you close your eyes and breathe deep. This 2005 has a lift, an elevation, and a silkiness that is simply stunning. So well balanced, and not nearly putting all its moves on the field yet. Still, obvious to everyone: in a lineup of excellent wines, classic wines from P-C, and in the presence of the owner and an expert taster, the 2005 is the pedigree. It IS a cut above the rest, it DOES deserve its reputation. It WILL be one of the most amazing wines you will ever have. Hoard and hold!
And what a gauntlet thrown down for 2009!
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Let breathe for 6 hours... fruit was still muted and just appearing! Aroma of classic Bordeaux black currant, green pepper, and earth. Some licorice and pencil lead. Nice silky, full-bodied mouthfeel. Taste is deep and carries without any holes in the palate. Oak is well integrated. Long, long finish. By the end of the glass, flavor was coating the mouth for 2-3 minutes with each sip. Doesn't overpower at the same time.
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On the nose an essence of Pauillac, stunning richness and depth, minerals and sweet blackcurrants, lead pencil, completely absorbed oak; tremendous energy, an iron fist in a velvet glove; immensely long, cocoa and spices. Pontet-Canet really did something very special in 2005.
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really long finish - I start with that as it was the best feature. its a 2005 cru classe so I wanted to like it (love it) more but I couldnt - may just be in a dumb phase. good blackcurrant fruit on nose and palate. dry tannins. hold on to it if you have some (dont even try it as an experiment)
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Decanted one hour and nursed over the course of the evening. Deep, dark garnet. Still in diapers. Restrained nose yielding violets and resin. Gripping tannins overwhelm rich dark fruit lurking in the shadows. Aristocratic elegance. Remarkable finish. Hold for at least least five to seven years.
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A little tight and closed, but very impressive. Huge and powerful. Blackberry, kirsh, mineral, earth, chocolate, plum, almost port like tannins and density. Layered and complex. Awesome! My wotn.
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Opaque in color with an intoxicating perfume of spicy, black fruit, cassis and oak. Dense and full bodied. Stunning levels of concentration which lead to a great mouthfeel that fills and excites all your taste buds! There is a great freshness and balance to the wine with a finish that lasts close to forty seconds... This is truly a wow wine that is Second Growth in quality!
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2005 Bordeaux blends (Stockholm): Blackcurrant, truffels, cedar - classic stuff although a bit closed. On the palate it was all tannins but the masses of dark fruit will be handling that and ensures me that it is a fantastic wine in the making. I will however wait many years before I open the next bottle. I had expected this to come out as the WOTN but I was wrong. I am however still convinced this is the wine with the greatest potential of them all.
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A lovely bouquet, with scents of ripe dark fruits, lavender, stones and mineral; very pure and focused. Great intensity on the palate, with fine delineation, good structure, ripe tannins, and a long finish. From 375.
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Dark to the rim. Very dark, deep nose with rich truffles, blueberries and soy. Really rich, caramel attack that was utterly beguiling. Long, sweet fruited, velvety mid palate follows through to a still slightly drying finish. This wine was so good it felt kinky!
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Opened to contrast with 1988 Mouton. Wow, what potential. Full of flavor and despite the harsh tannins, delivered a mouthful of satisfaction. Can't wait until 2015.
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Nose of black and stewed fruit (but not overly stewed). The tannins are overpowering and drying, although there is clearly plenty of fruit underneath. In 15 years, great. Now, OUCH!
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This is the bees knees. Fantastic rich blackcurrant fruit, lead pencil, terroir, concentrated, gravitas and elegance, immensely long, already a dream but with half a century in front of it.
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Union des Grand Cru Tasting (Lighthouse (Pier 61, Chelsea Piers)): At UGC Grand Tasting in New York. Exceeded expectations. I had high expectations for this wine and it came through, exceeding my expectations. Big dark and complex. The attack is nice a brigh, which was a surprise, but it develops brooding deep dark fruit notes on the mid-palate and has an excellent finish.
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2005 & 2006 Tasting (Hyatt, Century City): I find the nose to be somewhat closed as it does not show a lot of power or complexity but there are notes of currant and blackberry. The palate is another story with staggering complexity and structure. The flavors consist of the essence of stones, currant, cherry, and espresso. The soft black cherry note is particularly lovely on the long finish. Quite simply everything is there on the palate: the tannins, the acidity, the concentration, and the complexity. Sure it will take time for the tannins to mellow and the fruit to blossom but I have no doubt this is a legend in the making. 96+
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Nearly as well made as the Larcis Ducasse, in a tasting of various Bordeaux, this was my WOTN. Beautiful dark fruits, substantial mouthfeel, full tannins, long finish. Happy to have several bottles, that is for certain.
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2005 Bordeaux Test Drive (North Square): Largish in scale though it seems to go back and forth between muscle and fat. The fruit is on the plummy side for a Left Bank wine and combines some up-front sweetness with a deeper brothiness. Still, the tannins are so burly it's hard to get at what's inside here.
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Drank beside the 2004 Pontet Canet, thick, rich, silky smooth, much better then the 2004 PC, but in my opinion not up to the same level as the 2005 Grand Puy Lacoste. With some age this may change. Great wine though, and well worth the money. The 2005 bordeaux has been spectacular.
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WS Exp - Bright dark red fruit notes. Lush wood tannins conceal beautiful fruit tannins. lots happening here and I might have to adjust my score upward. Side note - This was the first organice wine ever made by the Chateau
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Drank in celebration of sending Teardrop 5.13a in American Fork.
Rich dark purple color. Very aromatic and much more expressive than I expected from such a young wine. Dark fruit and casssis, tarragon with a spray of perfume, complex, with a beautiful balance of acidity, fruit wrapped in a silky shear of tannin. The wine glides across the palate with a lively finish. I look forward to the next 14 bottles.
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Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2005 vintage tasting and dinner (Conrad Interntational, Singapore): UGC tasting. Totally agree with the last poster - great now, but with the potential to be absolutely fantastic. Classic Pauillac with wonderful, wonderful purity of blackcurrant fruit. Great balance, with a tremendous freshness and good, firm tannins. Very clean, extremely focused. A little watery tinge on the finish disturbed me slightly. Still, my notes are littered with exclamation marks with this one. So very primary now, but with so many good things going on. Best Pontet Canet I've ever tried by quite a distance.
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Tasted at the château. Thank you, Jean Michel, for opening this treat. Enormous aromatic profile. Cinnamon, ripe strawberry, roses, cassifruit and o so fresh and exciting. A complex, mouth filling wine. Loads and layers of fruit, very ripe and sweet, but not overdone. Fresh, deep and creamy. Solid ripe tannins. Superb lenght. Wow!! 95/100
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94 points with upside. So Pauillac - reminds me of great wines I have tasted over the years from this appellation. Brooding Monster describes it all. You are going to love this if you love Cabernet based Bordeaux.
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Brooding youngster. This wine was tight and closed. revealed lots of cassis and dark berry fruit, intermixed with the usual slate, mineral, and burnt earth. Finish was long, and after 24 hours, the wine was more open, and revealing a whole bouquet of fresh fruit, with no diminishment in the palate. Acicity was relatively sharp, and the balance was incredible.
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I recieved several cases of the wine this week so I decided to try a few to assess quality myself. Opened the wine and let it sit for 4.5 hours. The bouquet was somewhat muted but I then aerated the glass I poured. That helped the bouquet come out behind the facade. It had lead pencil wet clay and mineral smell. The first sip was cherry and cassis and currant with hints of spice. The tannins in this bottle were strong but in another I opened up and let sit they were more reasonable. The mid palate revealed more spice vanilla and some licorice. The finish was long and i got more wet clay and minerality with cherry and berry accents. The aroma of the wine is pretty intense and the backbone of this wine is of great ilk. Perfect balance between the fruit and acidity. I think this one is going to get 3 - 4 extra points over its next decade. I would definitely recommend adding this wine to your portfolio. 95+ Points
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Champagne and Bordeaux (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had a nice perfume smell, plus cassis, melted chocolate, cedar box, and a bit of spice. The palate was fat, with cassis, cedar, raspberry, and a spicy finish.
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Started fairly tannic, with a very complex finish indicating an amazing future. A bit more closed than last year, but I think this wine will eventually have a higher overall rating.
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A big ripe cassis fruit infused wine impressive for its sheer richness! Shows nice depth too. Not as well structured or as balanced as Pichon Baron, though I am certain many will thoroughly enjoy its full body and sumptuous, almost oozing, levels of jam-like fruit.
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2005 Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting (Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois): 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petite Verdot. This was the only Pauillac estate which clearly surpassed what they di in 2000 and 2003. Very fine effort. Well made and complex wine. An old world nose. Sweet tannins and a viscous texture. Plenty of ripe red fruit that will hold up well in the long haul. Long finish. 94+ points.
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2005 Bordeaux @ Union des Grand Crus (San Francisco, CA): This is a slightly more rustic Pichon Baron with a level of additional flavor volume. What a great wine this is. Rich, full of black currant, ripe, intense and the longest finish.
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With coaxing, this extremely concentrated, Bordeaux wine started to strut its stuff. Black, purple in color. Very dense and mouthfilling. Huge levels of fruit and body with enough tannin and structure to age for decades. The impressive finish lasted at least fifty seconds!
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Had at chateau with JMC. Unbelievable potential – awesome fruit showing, with refined tannins. Had right after visit at Mouton. I thought this was a little better than the 2005 Mouton (which is a great wine as well). My favorite wine during this visit to Bordeaux. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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BORDEAUX 2005 / Cabernet rules; 4/5/2006-4/10/2006 (Bordeaux): An Oreo cookie nose! Then black currant, very ripe cassis. Palate is sweet, rich and wet, with some very ripe plum and an added freshness, with underlying depth, too. Very, very nice wine! 92-94+
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2005 Bordeaux en Primeur; 3/26/2006-3/28/2006 (Bordeaux France): En Primeur tasting. Really rockstar. Sensational aromatic start- black and red fruit with liqueur and spice. Powerful flavors to match with elegant tannins. Great balance and length, 94-96 point potential. Everybody I was with agreed this is amazing.
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5/21/2024 - RichardP wrote: 93 Points
Ether, cherry, and peach (?) on the nose. On the palate, black cherry, blackberry, and notes of currant, dark chocolate, and a hint of cigar box, with light tannins and well-balanced acidity. This was excellent, but I was hoping for this to reach another level given the vintage. Even so, it was a good value at about $100. Although it's in its drinking window, it will probably improve.
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5/10/2024 - Turtlerider wrote:
Had with Dave D in a small road house in Edmonton. Wine sat in the car most of the day. It was the first sunny warm day of the year. Totally unexpected. It was probably 80F in the car when I took the wine into the hotel.
I chilled in in my hotel fridge which thankfully was a crappy fridge, but just about cellar temperature.
Definitely worried it would be cooked.
Paid $25 corkage and our young server decanted the wine for us. Tons of sediment. The travel probably shook the bottle a little.
Allowed the wine to breathe for 7 or 8 minutes. Very closed, smooth mouth feel, it needs to breathe.
Ordered steak bites and truffle fries appetizers and sipped water while the wine was allowed to breathe for more minutes. Applies took 15 minutes to come and the wine had opened up a little.
Over two hours the wine opened up and we really enjoyed it. It probably deserved at least a two hour decant, but the conversation and laughs made up for the sub optimal wine conditions.
We had been planning a get together for over 5 years, only to have something always interfere, so this last minute meeting had to do.
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5/9/2024 - EM_MB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brought to a BYO event so had to PNP. Super interesting nose of creamed corn. Mellowed tannins and overall very enjoyable. Unfortunately, bottle was gone in less than 30 min so no idea how it would evolve over the course of the evening but I suspect at its peak right now.
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5/9/2024 - Vlamentino Likes this wine: 95 Points
Eyes: Heart of darkness with a garnet rim
Nose: BLACKBERRIES and Morello cherry, amazing freshness and fruit forward for the age. A warming alcohol, graphite, restrained/balanced tertiaries: leather, cedar, fresh cigarette tobacco.
Palate: Whoah, nice acidity. furry tannins (in a good way) a full bodied powerhouse but elegant at the same time if that makes sense. A finish for days.
Overall an absolute banger
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5/5/2024 - ShadowIII Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking very well, dark fruit, blackberry, currants, spice, firm tannins giving a solid backbone, long finish, still many years to go, I believe this was Jean Michel Comme's first biodynamic wine, wish I had more. Drank after the 2009 Pontet Canet, actually gave a slight nod to the 2005.
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5/3/2024 - bobsabayesian wrote: 93 Points
2nd of 5. No formal tasting note but this one left the impression that it still had some life left in it.
Seems like there’s a lot of variation in this vintage and it’s ready to drink, so if you have one, I think go ahead and drink it
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4/27/2024 - Noremedy21 wrote: 91 Points
Underwhelming. Decanted for one hour prior to serving, was all it needed. Still primary, but over extracted, plum, prune and raisin notes. Jammy. More reminiscent of a Napa to be honest and lacked any trace of terroir. Let’s see what it looks like in a few more years, but not holding out much hope
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4/13/2024 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
Oh my...Losing focus and fruit but the brick house under it is all there, brick by brick. This bottle came across as a bit clumsy. Loud...Belligerent. Said allot, but didn't say much. Shows quality, shows no Bordeaux. Shows cedar and some graphite, but lacks balance. Lets hope its in re-balance mode. Long, coarse, dry finish. My advice to others and a note for myself is: drink this by itself, not in a lineup of supposed peers. Drink
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4/7/2024 - culater Likes this wine: 93 Points
16-19 C, decant needed (but not much) and appx 1-2h. With filet n bea.
Best at start 16-17C with hard cheese. More dry and harsh with the food an18-19 C.
Keep at 15-17, salty meat and decant 1-2h.
Dark berries, tar, pencil lead.
Now sure if it is a drink now or keep 3y.
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4/4/2024 - jfaulk Likes this wine: 91 Points
Excellent well structured Bordeaux
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4/4/2024 - Cromulent Likes this wine: 95 Points
Taken out to a local BYO. Popped and poured. Still very primary with strong cassis characters on nose and palate. Tannins have almost all gone with this bottle. Long life ahead.
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3/28/2024 - jimyeni Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a great spot, nice fruit, oak, balance. Really good wine
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3/24/2024 - Happytoro Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was solid. Decanted for 1 hour. Dark purple and nose is wonderful with expressive fruits, oak, and graphite. Tannins are resolved, but still slightly acidic that prevents it from reaching complete harmony. I thought the Montrose 2005 was more balanced, but also measurably less expressive.
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3/20/2024 - TWSA Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Nose: blackcurrant, hints of nail polish, tobacco leaves
Notes: the 2005 vintage has always been and probably will continue to be (at least for another decade) mysterious, full, well structured and unready. Very jam like and tannic still, this wine is not very enjoyable right now. Personally I have never been a fan of Pontet Canet and given this great vintage I am still unable to spot anything interesting or promising at this very moment, I think this may require another 10 years to develop and mature so I would advise owner of this bottle to lay it down and forget about it for a while.
Drink: 2034+
Rating: 87
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3/20/2024 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
The wine kicks off with its cherry, leaf, and floral perfume before you dig into a big juicy mouthful of black, and red fruits, spice, cedar, and tobacco. The wine borders the corners of robust and regal in style. 1 hour of decanting is all that's needed. Drink from 2024-2045.
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3/17/2024 - Esmags7 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for ~3 hours; absolutely dead on opening.
Well reviewed recently by others - not quite complex enough and a little too jammy to score higher, but still a very nice wine.
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2/23/2024 - VindependenceDay Likes this wine: 90 Points
2hrs airing in wine glass. Almost no nose. Some faint tar and blackberry. In the mouth much more interesting- viscous, velvety, layered texture. Not a lot of acid, but there is a noticeable tannic bite. Slight edge of bitterness. But it’s not unpleasant at all. I’m rather enjoying trying to figure out what’s going on with this wine. I have a feeling it will be much bigger with more air. Will try the rest of the bottle tomorrow. 90pts.
Ok second day after Coravin. Folks are right - I should have decanted 3+ hrs on day 1. Much bigger nose, with notes of blackberry, plum, rhubarb jam (?), lavender (?), tar, forest floor. Tannins have receded. It’s lost some of the density and viscosity, but gained freshness and acidity. Tasty! 93 pts.
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2/3/2024 - The_Cat wrote: 96 Points
Deep purple dense and concentrated multilayered with complex notes of black and blueberry roasted notes pencil mine. Full bodied with lots of ripe tannins and super long finish
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1/31/2024 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dekantert. Ung, men pen, også dag 3. Ikke helt på plass.
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1/14/2024 - Nmilau Likes this wine: 90 Points
My third bottle with consistent notes each time. Not sure why this is so popular. I find it overextracted and the jammy, boozy body type suppresses the notes for me. I would not recommend this wine
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12/25/2023 - rlu wrote: 90 Points
young fruit, elegance medium, quite full bodied, still a long life ahead of it
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12/24/2023 - bobsabayesian Likes this wine:
A little surprised at how developed this is given the other notes. First of 5 bottles.
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12/17/2023 - CabinConnoisseur Likes this wine: 94 Points
Notes after a 4 hour decant.
Excellent wine. Opened for our 29th Anniversary.
Clearly a majority cab sauv blend. Black cherry, cedar, and vanilla on the nose. On the palate one immediately notices fruit, tartness, and zest. Complex. Flavors of dark cherry and some maraschino, black pepper, white pepper, a hint of licorice, some red fruit in the background.
I can see why some note New World characteristics. I suspect this will continue to improve with time in the cellar. Let it sit several more years and give it air before consuming. I note that the wine is continuing to improve as the decant gets longer.
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12/17/2023 - Kirk Grant wrote:
This was opened, decanted for 5 hours, and re-tasted the following evening. Purchased on release and stored in my Eurocave or a passive cellar since release. So the bottle, cork, and wine were in the best possible condition save from the Chateau itself.
All that being said, I was not that impressed with this wine. To me, this has more in-common with a Napa Cabernet than it does with other producers from Pauillac. There's a level of ripeness to this wine that feels out of balance (to me). Rich and full in body, with robust notes of blackberry, black plum, and dark chocolate and a lingering note of oak on the finish that feels (to me) like it's just a tad too overbearing. People that prefer full-bodied red wines, that are richly layered, will enjoy this wine. Outstanding
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12/17/2023 - roelof.ligtmans@gmail.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Stellar performance (as always, 6 down and 6 to go out of 12 bought en primeur). Opened several hours before dinner, but not decanted. Some light and slightly sticky tannins suggest further ageing potential, but the aromatics are fully developed without tumbling into advanced tertiary notes. More black fruit than mushroom, in other words. Glorious. Preceded by 1998 Bel-Air Marquis d'Aligre (Margaux), very interesting contrast, both wines were excellent.
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12/14/2023 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 92 Points
Første glass stor motstand. Olmt beist. Så dekantert i 3 timer. Langt mer tilnærmelig. Bedre og bedre glass for glass. Enda bedre dag 2. Klar vinner.
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12/13/2023 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 94 Points
2 hrs decant. nose was somewhat closed but opened up during drinking. good fruity, classic bordeaux nose. not so dominant pencil but plenty of dark red fruit. On the pallet nicely balance with soft tanines, medium to full body with long finsh. has some potential to further develop on the bottle
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12/13/2023 - ifishtoo Likes this wine: 94 Points
First of a case. Still youthful but yummy.
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11/24/2023 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 95 Points
PNP
Dark red, thin clear rim, looks quite young still.
This wine is still very powerful. Some secondary characteristics coming out but still a lot of fruit. Very floral, dried violets, cherry cough drop, slight notes of struck flint, hint of leather, red fruit with dark chocolate comes out. Prune. Saving last bottle for at least 5 years later. Really enjoyable wine and powerful wine. 95+
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9/24/2023 - Dibbs wrote: 90 Points
Initially came across as quite an exuberant manner of a young BDX, but then it went thin on the palate and vegetal on the nose. Not sure if it was a root day, but none of the wines on this night really delivered.
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9/9/2023 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 97 Points
fruits in the nose and full bodied in the mouth. right in its drinking window. soft tanines and very long finish.
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8/6/2023 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
I have had this wine many times over the years. Usually it is up there in the 95-96pts range but latest tasting was slightly underwhelming. The wine is fantastic overall, but felt it was a little overripe and didn't have the finesse I remember in previous tastings. It's still a full bodied, rich, delicious wine, but hopefully just along its way and will develop more elegance and nuance.
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8/4/2023 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped and poured, and drank over two hours. Ageless wine and drinking just as well as ever. Will last 20+ more years.
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8/4/2023 - Barakahn Likes this wine: 93 Points
still too closed. decanted 1hour. needs 5 more years...
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8/4/2023 - Hazeo wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely outstanding and mature for my taste, red bricking colour, intense on the palette loaded with graphite, minerals and lovely earthiness. It has a silky smooth texture and elegantly glides across the tongue leaving behind a finish that lasts a minute. Enjoyed this a lot more than the 2009 Pichon Baron the other night. No rush but fully enjoyable now.
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7/26/2023 - toppcats@aol.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful mature bordeaux. Purple tinged cork edge - cork removed intact with no signs of any seepage. PnP-slow ox/not decanted. Deep dark opaque garnet color. Wonderful balanced and complex nose of black cherry, cassis, and raspberry with secondary/tertiary notes of pencil box, dark chocolate covered fruit, and earthiness/loam. Dark fruit on palate with medium to full-bodied silky mouthfeel leading into a medium-length finish with remaining (in-balance) soft drying tannins. In prime drinking window at present but with no rush to open remaining bottles.
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7/24/2023 - platpeeps Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very savoury, yet rich and voluptuous with flavours of graphite, pencils and cassis. The ripe tannins melt away to produce a delicious lick of black chocolate. Rather plush with terrific structure and length. Top drawer stuff. CHP 94 pts
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7/13/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 93 Points
90 min double decant. Nearly opaque hazy magenta core. Dark chocolate raisinettes, prune, cassis, and black raspberry. Very smooth, dry palate. Full, soft tannins on the longish finish.
This has aged very nicely, but it’s past it’s peak for my palate. It was very kind of Mark1NPT to share this with us.
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7/13/2023 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 95 Points
Final night event with Agelvis and friends.....
2 hour decant followed by a 2 hour slow ox with the cork out of bottle.....medium garnet in the glass. Nose of cranberry/black currant, leather, briar and dark chocolate. Medium weight in the mouth. Resolved and integrated and soft. Palate of pomegranate, mushroom, graphite and a touch of earthy caramel. The more air this one gets, the better. Very complex on the nose and palate. I have scored this 1-2 points higher in the past but this one is now beginning to move more through its drinking window and softening with many subtleties....the fruit and the power have reduced but the complex 'little things' are there.
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7/5/2023 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 93 Points
great balanced wine , right in its drinking window (after 2 hrs decant). good ripe bordeaux color. straight froward from the glass. long finish. fruit in the nose. subtile on the palate
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6/28/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote: 93 Points
Gobs of blackberry and other ripe goodies, anchored in lurking graphite with a massive structure. Long brutal finish with no real statement of place, just some faint liquid pencil hints and a brooding structure that takes away from whatever is being sung softly in the background. I dont know what the future holds, but this is not a great place to put my storage capacity to work. For me, as a true Bordeaux experience (even though this is theoretically young), this one misses, yet it brings a whole new side of luxury to wine. In Pauillac, I'd honestly rather pay for either of the Pichon, and could easily replace this with Lynch Bages without fear of the future. I no longer collect PC because the market is so flooded that I can buy one when I crave one without needing to do the believing in the future...Drink or hold 93+
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6/25/2023 - Southkevin2 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I agree with the notes about this being too young somehow even at 18 years. This has a bright future, but does not show very well today
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6/18/2023 - DoubleD1969 Likes this wine:
Same note as last year. I intended to give this wine more years before trying another one. Oh well.
The wine was doing great. Actually, it reminded me of a Napa Cab without the high alcohol. This one was at 13%. Also noticed that the bottle was a hefty piece of glass.
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6/10/2023 - Anchun wrote: 94 Points
Big, powerful, and concentrated! Wow, what a gem. Best Pontet I have tried - beats my so far favourite 2003. Decanted it for 2 hours. Loads of concentrated blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit along with a hint of licorice, bitter chocolate, lead pencil. Great length, with the full, ripe tannins. A powerful and masculine Pontet made for long-term ageing. Yet it drinks really well now and it retains a great freshness.
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6/5/2023 - Goodwine4ever wrote: 94 Points
Bien content de goûter le 2005 qui était dans ma mire depuis un certain temps. Vraiment excellent ! fruits mure riche, plus ample que le Mouton, floral, tannins présents, ample, déja dans son apogée, sublime Bordeaux !
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6/5/2023 - jefiset wrote: 91 Points
Encore jeune et de belles années devant.
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6/3/2023 - Stefan75 wrote: 92 Points
From Mag, double decanted for ca. 4hrs, great nose but still somehow harsh in the mouth - tannins clearly not (fully) resolved, incredible power and structure, I will open the next bottle in 3+ years…
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5/24/2023 - redknife Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for about 2 hrs and of to Pascals with Felipe
Young with full mouth of red but predominantly dark fruit.
Will get an extra 2-3 points with aging
Went great with lamb chops
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5/14/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Holy hell this was on point. cedar, pencil shaving, plum and currant. This could go many more years, but with a 5 hour decant this was screaming. I love PC and think the 2009 and 2010 are sensational, but this quickly moved up the ranks as an all time best PC
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4/30/2023 - NotAWineGuy wrote: 96 Points
Still young, decanted 3hrs, will wait another year before opening another one
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4/27/2023 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 7-8 hrs. Wow, yeah 18 years in this tasted more like a 5 year old. While bursting with structure, the essential trio of fruit acid and tannin are all in the right proportion, so avoids being hard like an 06 or perhaps top heavy like a 09 or 10. Wonderful purity of cassis which is like cat nip to me. This is easily a 40 year plus PC. I’d mildly lean towards holding if you have just a few, but a larger stash - I’d give it a check in look.
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4/15/2023 - cab blends wrote: 92 Points
S&E Wine Society - Blind Bordeaux Blend Tasting (at Home): (post unveiling - this was the second bottle of PC 2005 tonight)
T 8/10
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4/15/2023 - cab blends wrote: 91 Points
S&E Wine Society - Blind Bordeaux Blend Tasting (at Home): Unusual odd nose to start. I can't place it. Finishes french but some dry vegetal. Tannins are 7.5/10
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4/7/2023 - LFCHALA Likes this wine:
NR
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3/14/2023 - platpeeps Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich and concentrated, this had leafy, savoury plum fruit underpinned with firm tannins which provide structure. The finish is silky and stays long in the mouth. Plump and plush. CHP 94 pts
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3/12/2023 - forgetmenot Likes this wine:
Still tight.
Nose of cold smoke, pencil lead, blackcurrant.
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3/8/2023 - dbg wrote:
A year since my last look at this. Dark red to rim. Opens within 30 minutes to a full nose of cassis, dark berries, moist earth, hint of cedar. Full bodied, plenty of ripe but not over-ripe or blowy fruit, good balance, tannins less prominent than last year, crisp acidity, no real aged complexity yet, medium-long finish. Expect further improvement. Another excellent 2005 - these are not turning out "over-extracted" as some predicted. Excellent.
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1/8/2023 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375ml. Just a hint of VA on the nose. Showing some maturity as the tannins are rather mild at this point and there’s some leather and cedar notes. Fruit still quite prominent, and in a transition into more tertiary notes. Tannins are “mild” but still rather mouth-puckering on the finish—but highly polished and fine. I’m going to continue and hold my 750ml’s another 3-5yrs before trying.
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12/31/2022 - Édifice Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, this wine is incredible … incredibly young. Bouquet of ripe berries, crushed stones, undergrowth. First night still holding back with quite some acidity, a bit of greenness. Second night more open. Typical 2005. Full yet tight, sweetness hidden somewhat behind acidity and ultra-fine but present tannins, leading to a long finish, which still is dominated by primary elements. Agree that one should wait for 2-3 or more years, but still highly impressive and already enjoyable.
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12/27/2022 - The_Cat wrote: 97 Points
Deep purple with complex flavors of blackberry black currant a bit of balsamic notes and black pepper and roasted notes Full bodied with lots of ripe tannins and super long vibrant finish
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12/25/2022 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
ready!
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12/16/2022 - DanielAVTL Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine 4/6 of Bordeaux 2005 tasting at YOLO Wine club.
* Decanted 4 hours ahead of tasting.
The '05 Pontet-Canet is text-book, as I've come to expect from this Chateau which has become a true staple of Pauillac. Classic aromas of Cassis, wild mushrooms, black pepper and cherry blend harmoniously to create a beautiful bouquet. On the palate - big, bold red fruit and spices, with muted notes of plum and strawberry, and integrated yet rather firm tannins, suggesting further development is required.
92 points on the night with potential for 94+ points once it peaks.
Hold and drink from 2027 through 2037
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12/10/2022 - VDLT Wine Likes this wine:
Gorgeous nose, lovely silky texture but the palate is very tight. It will be outstanding with extreme patience.
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11/27/2022 - timbo9313 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Direct purchase from London straight after release. Ship to HK and stored in the wine fridge till now. Cork was dry and intact. Immediate nose was average. Decant for 1 hour. Cantonese home cook seafood lunch. Definite nicely balanced classic Bordeaux red but without the Woo stunning impact. After taste was average but the body was holding well till the end of the meal. This was my second bottle.
I had 94 .. 95 and 96 before.... they were all more impressive than this 2005.
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11/25/2022 - lovemycab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark fruits and tobacco. This was a bit disappointing. Despite decanting for 2 hours, this just didn't open up and was clearly holding back. Sommelier at restaurant agreed this was just too young and not ready. Will give the remaining bottles many years before trying again or if the moment hits me try a 6 hour decant...
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11/25/2022 - merlotsmile wrote:
Comm Bx
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11/19/2022 - Song103 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slow ox for 1 hour and another 2 hours decant. Compared with my previous CT notes, I found this bottle to be even more primary. Very rich dark fruit, full body with silky tannins. Approachable, but 5-10 years away from maturity. Very much Napa in style, and tasted more like a 09 than 05. A 4+ hours decant would have been more appropriate. 92-96 depending on which style of BDX blend you prefer. Next bottle 2026+
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10/25/2022 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dekantert. Ung, pen. Noe mer tilgjengelig dag 3.
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10/16/2022 - DrZett wrote: 92 Points
Quite powerful dark fruit notes, some tobacco, tar, soft licorice and some graphite notes. Full bodied with a fresh and medium intense acidity. Powerful tannins, nicely integrated. Good depth and complexity. Overall balance is very nice, fruit is a little too dominant in my opinion. Drink now until 2030. (IG)
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10/1/2022 - Brad Fagan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect age though could go 10 more years. decanted and drank over 3 hrs. Needs 1 hr decant.
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9/25/2022 - Yffudp Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for one hour before drinking. Dark purple in color. Dark purple in color with a powerful nose. Aromas of dark fruit, gravel/graphite, and cedar. A well-integrated palate with elegant, velvety tannins and a long finish.
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9/24/2022 - LB88 wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful bottle great fruit concentration velvety and luscious. Starting to drink but certainly can cellar more for more secondary flavours
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9/13/2022 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dekantert. Vidundelig nese og munn. Stadig ikke annet enn primær, men alleree god. Vent. Ingen egentlig utvikling dg 3.
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7/22/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 97 Points
Been almost 3 years since my last bottle....MJP drinking his '10 on vaca encouraged me to dip into the cellar.....my (only slightly fatty) liver thanks you, Michael!
Decanted, but right from the pnp you could probably start drinking this one, now. Only slight barnyard to the nose, but it resolved very quickly over 30 min to be replaced by a beautiful graphite and leather nose. The palate is high class with a dark red/black fruit profile. The first hour or two there's a slight tart cherry ending to the fruit, but it's not a thin tart, it's a heavier, richer tart if that makes sense. There are multiple layers, well integrated tannins and acidity and jut a beautiful 'punch' to this wine. The mid palate is less than desired but the juicy, rich fruited ending and mouthwatering fruit go on for a good 30-60 seconds after you swallow. 96-97 the first 2-3 hours.
Next 3 hours sees a slight change.....a tad of mushroom shows up, a tad of astringency to the resolving tannins also appears. The wine goes extremely well with the grilled teriyaki flank steak and crispy baked potato. Maybe a 94-95 with dinner? It's quite the food compliment at that point.
Still enjoying the last glass, now open 6+ hours to air. More mouth coating drying tannins are emerging, but the deep, dense dark fruit is just so good I can overlook that. Still a 94-95. Hard to believe this is a 13% alc wine, I never would have guessed it given the quality, richness and density of the fruit. Glad I have 3-4 more of these left in the cellar....there's still plenty of time for these to age and integrate further. No hurry here.
Addendum: Late at night, the last glass has sat open to air for an additional 5 hours so now about 10-11 hours of total air time for this one. The nose remains quite strong with its graphite and now some beautiful red rose petals, too. The palate remains full of dark red fruit and some sweet tobacco leaf, maybe a touch of coffee bean while the mid palate has filled out a bit and the wonderfully full, elongated ending, continues. This bottle is sitting right in the middle of the spectrum between what big Cali red drinkers like and the traditionally aged and integrated Bdx drinkers like. Since I like all along that spectrum, this one is in a good place for me. Extremely enjoyable.
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6/25/2022 - jyensan Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding after a 2 hour decant. Enjoyed with dry aged prime strip. In a perfect place but should drink well for many years…
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6/19/2022 - DoubleD1969 wrote:
Pop and poured. First of six bottles purchased over 10 years ago. Opaque almost like a young port in color. Nose of black licorice, cocoa powder, forest floor. Palate was full bodied with bitter chocolate, fresh plums and medium acidity. It felt rich and had a little residual tannic finish. Finished the bottle between two of us. It’s a good sign that it was a delicious bottle.
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5/30/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Firm, stoic, crisp, tannic, and more interesting on the nose with its flowers, tobacco, currant, forest leaf, and cigar-filled nose, than on the full-bodied, bright, crunchy palate. This is an old-school-styled Pontet Canet that needs at least another 5 years in the cellar.
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5/29/2022 - dbg wrote:
First look at this. Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Cassis, dark berries, earth come forth after about 40 minutes. Full bodied, good balance, notable tannins still present, no real aged complexity yet, medium-long finish. Expect further improvement. Excellent.
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5/22/2022 - JOsgood wrote: 95 Points
Wow, this was pure class and silk right from the bottle. Amazing balance and depth. Lovely nose. Killer vintage of this great wine.
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4/18/2022 - iobtoel Likes this wine: 94 Points
4 hour decant. Still deep garnet core with fading rim. Lush dark berries on nose, hints of graphite and tobacco. Fine grained tannins on the palate, very sweet. Rich core of dark berries again with a hint of tertiary flavours developing. Truffle notes. Long sweet finish with just a hint of drying tannins. Drinking very well.
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4/15/2022 - rcane wrote:
Decanted two hours before drinking. Good cork. Opaque deep red with brownish orange rims. Balanced acidity with a bright and fruity bouquet. Feminine body probably more suited to white meat and fish than moose steak it was paired with.
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4/8/2022 - bram_epicurien Likes this wine: 91 Points
Burnt ends lunch in singapore. Pairing it with the wagyu steak. 2 hours decant. Deep purple color. A lot of dark cherry, raspberries, violet, roses and light smoke on the nose. Med+ acidity, Med alcohol, Med body, Med+ tannins - quite dry, Med+ flavor intensity, Med finish. I like this mineral red fruit mouth, nice salinity, I feel this is still very young so limited tertiary notes, and still quite a fruit bomb now. I recommend a much longer decanting or opening in five or ten year. A legend in the making for sure!
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4/8/2022 - dnicewicz wrote: 93 Points
Like a little foal trying to stand up, this wine has its kicks and spurts of potential greatness. Spicy almost juicy tannins give way to deep blue fruits and then a bitter sharpness that destroys the prior glory. The nose is reticent and has a sharp alcoholic terpine note. Will this foal ever learn to walk? I sure hope so because I have 11 more…
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3/19/2022 - adnorthup wrote:
out of 375. showing like a really nice aged Bordeaux. Wonderful vibrant cassis, some earth and leather coming on. Just starting to hit towards early peak.
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3/14/2022 - NEducatedGes Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful, big fruit an long perfect finish. Drank from 375 and this can age for years!
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3/12/2022 - lvjohn wrote: 91 Points
I cannot believe this bottle represents the future for this wine. What fruit it had initially faded and we were left with a rather harsh, woody tasting wine. We decanted it and let it alone for about an hour and a half. We poured it back in the bottle and let it regather itself overnight. That didn't really help it. What were tasted was wood and some spice. It may be going through a bad phase.
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2/24/2022 - NEducatedGes Likes this wine: 95 Points
From 375 and still tons of clean dark fruit and smooth Tannins, this can develop for years to come, amazing now and long finish but wait if you can 94+This should develop 2+. Agreed it is a modern style but huge finish and will age for decades.
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2/21/2022 - Song103 Likes this wine:
This was a modern style Bordeaux with plenty of dark sumptuous fruit, spice (from the oak), and fine length. It was pushing the ripeness, concentration and oak to the limit, but nothing overdone. It was balanced by fine acidity and even show some elegance. Slow ox for 1 and decanted for 4 hours. In great shape, and with a long development ahead. Tertiary flavour has just begun to develop, but certainly approachable. 93 today and 95+ potential in another five+ years.
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1/25/2022 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
This is ready with some air. typical Bordeaux
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1/7/2022 - SonnyChiba wrote: 95 Points
Rockin and Rollin right now. Great right out of the gate. The nose in particular is so good. Likely more upside to come. Love it!
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1/2/2022 - Kevnzworld wrote: 93 Points
1 hour decant after PNP at Avra
Tart blackberry and licorice. This drinks young, sharp and somewhat tannic with a little tobacco from the oak on the finish . This has good structure but needs five years, just not enjoyable now, so I’ll reserve a numerical rating
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12/31/2021 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 88 Points
Cassis notes were in abundance, and loved the blackberry and oak medium to long finish too... but on this the special occasion of J's birthday, this and its twin bottle was perhaps a little rushed and there was not enough coaxing time.
Fickle thing these classic wines... this superb 2005 vintage PC was good but certainly not as spectacular as when we had it with the hotpot pre-MCO lockdown, its complexity and incredible finish did not come out and sing! We will have another chance next week.. hmm!
KL, Malaysia - Dec 2021
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12/28/2021 - Jaber wrote: 93 Points
93
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12/28/2021 - Jaber wrote:
93
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12/25/2021 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Surprisingly ready to drink. Decanted for one hour and drank with rib roast. Balanced and ready.
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12/11/2021 - Hanibal wrote: 92 Points
Still seemed shut down. Need more time to evolve and come out of its shell.
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12/9/2021 - Libbidog Likes this wine: 94 Points
Appearance
The wine is a clear deep ruby.
Nose
The wine exhibits developing, pronounced aromas of red blossoms, black cherry, black currant, blackberry, blueberry compote, vanilla, baking spice, young leather, cigar box, and dry earth.
Palate
The wine is dry with a full body, high acid, medium (+) tannins, medium alcohol, and exhibiting pronounced flavors of black cherry, blackberry, black currant, sour cherry jam, vanilla, savory herbs, mushroom, and dusty stones with a long finish.
Conclusion
The quality of this wine is outstanding. Still quite young and will hold for decades. Delicious. Life and wine are good!
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12/6/2021 - Purple Tooth wrote: 95 Points
Ok, this is where the artsy fartsy gang faces off with the claret mafia. Totally a turning point year for PC in my opinion. Since the 2000, it seems like there was a search for a new modern style and while 2003 went there, the vintage as a whole was too strange and hot to be the cornerstone of the new house, BUT, the 2005 is definitely that. This is where lush, thick fruit meets bordeaux attributes and cradles all sides. This is probably the last great Pontet Canet for me....Drink or Hold
Thick, with long long finish....modern and yet traditional
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12/3/2021 - Klugi Wine Likes this wine: 96 Points
Second time I came across this beautiful wine this time a Coravin glass.
The bouquet reminds oneself more of a Napa mountain Cab, beautiful pure cassis, salinity and classic left bank aromas of pencil shavings. The palate is pure but full bodied at the same time.
Had this a few years ago in a big 2005 tasting (incl. Colgin, Hillside Select, The Leoville‘s, …) where it came in second only to Monte Bello.
Tonight it proved its pedigree, highly recommended.
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12/1/2021 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dekantert. På vei mot sekundær frukt. Men det som tross alt er på plass er nydelig, og det kler 13%! Lavmælt, diskret, ingen store fakter. Perfekt fra glass 3!
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11/22/2021 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Even after a two hour decant, this Bordeaux still has active tannins and intense structure. Notes of blackberry fruit, currant with secondary flavors of pencil shavings and wet earth. The finish lingers with a great fruit and earth tone combination. There is a lot going in here and can’t wait to see how future bottles evolve over time.
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11/7/2021 - Central Coast Sharon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful deep ruby in color. Lovely on the nose. Lots of jam, mocha, a bit of ham hock or beef bourguignon, menthol or cedar and a touch of lavender. Beautiful. Delicious dark berry flavors and wintergreen on the palate with lingering anise. Very balanced between fruitiness and earth. Great expression of the terroir.
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10/16/2021 - SonOfBarolo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Was impressed as soon as I smelled the strong earthy/cassis nose.
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10/10/2021 - janka Likes this wine: 95 Points
Serious Bordeaux. I bought this back in 2008 and its absolut gordeous to drink now but even in 20 years. 13% alcohol it says feels like more, a full bodied wine so tasteful. We had it to moose entrecote and could not think of any better match.
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9/18/2021 - NickA Likes this wine: 92 Points
My friend brought this round to open now, as he suspected it had suffered heat damage over the summer. Decanted and then started upon shortly thereafter. I wouldn't say the wine seemed particularly closed or tannic, or obviously cooked, but it was definitely blocky and lacking in much charm or finesse, or the long finish that I would expect from a top-vintage GCC. Went well with BBQ food, with good concentration on the midpalate, but (assuming no damage) not a very exciting wine.
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9/15/2021 - signotim Likes this wine: 94 Points
From a half bottle and still quite youthful in color and expression. Fruit has the classic Pontet Canet purity on the nose and palate with a generous touch of sweetness. This is beautiful but it seems like down the road it will have even more to give. I'll wait a few years before trying another bottle. An exciting wine. 94+
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9/12/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
My sixth tasting note for this wine, and the fourth bottle from a full case purchased at auction in 2009. In 2009 (2x) it was spectacular, in 2012 (1x) it was very closed and in 2019 (2x) it seemed to be slowly waking up again. Decanted at 4pm, and it's immediately impressive, an essence of northern Pauillac, blackcurrant fruit and lead pencil, completely integrated oak, perfectly judged tannins, youthful but on its plateau of maturity. Two hours later, some tertiary, meaty aromas start to emerge next to the flowers, gravel, fruit and gentle leafiness. The balance on the palate is really striking at this stage, the power and weight almost hidden by the youthful minerally energy and freshness, with firm tannic grip for balance. Around dinner time, 8.30pm, the wine is seems to have returned to its more primary state, resplendent in its tannic richness. This was built for the ages - a half century at least. Revisit in 2025.
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7/15/2021 - martin_e Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby. Nose: mix of black and red berries with a hint of truffles. Taste: black currant, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry. Integrated structure; mid-to-long finish.
Drinks well now, but not yet at its peak maturity. Nice fruit, expressive as most 2005s, but by no means an outstanding wine.
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7/5/2021 - popopdrops Likes this wine: 92 Points
Splash-dekant. Tøff i trynet, men nok for ung, men liker den. Mørk. siste glass dag 2 ren perle.
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7/4/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium purple and red color. Very spicy (almost mint-like) oak and cherry jam aromas. Supple rich round fruit entry and mid-palate, followed by tannins in the finish.
Cork pulled 2 hours before tasting.
From Mark’s 2005 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting:
Attended a 36 wine ‘05 Bordeaux tasting recently. The wine above is one of those wines. Served single-blind.
All wines were tasted over a 2 day period, 18 per day. The wines served on the 1st day had their corks pulled two hours prior. The second day’s wines were served “ double-decanted”, 2 hours before the first flight. The overall tasting experience was quite different, as one would expect. Day 2 wines were softer, displaying more ripe fruit, and less harsh tannins.
Kudos to Mark for both a fantastic experience as well as providing an instructive opportunity on how the 2005 Bordeaux vintage is showing at this stage.
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6/26/2021 - Eric wrote:
2005 Bordeaux at 16 years courtesy of Mark Taylor; 6/26/2021-6/27/2021 (Atlanta, GA): Wow, deep and plummy, whiff of marine air. Very mineral, very structured. Is it Lafite? With time some red fruit comes out which had me thinking this was Angelus for a bit. My #5 and the group #4. In the end I thought Margaux, but it was Pontet-Canet.
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6/12/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Still young, tannic and working its way through to adulthood, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and structured. The big, fresh, juicy bite of cassis comes through loud and clear. But, the tannins remain powerful. The cedar, tobacco leaf, cigar box and minty herb nuances add a lot to the wine. This is probably going to end up being more about power and fruit, over refinement and elegance. With 2 hours of air, the wine began filling out. At the 3 hour mark, it was even better. The wine should be showing a cut above starting in 2025.
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5/28/2021 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Gang of 4 in Covid19 times; a celebration (@ My place): Dark berries and chocolate in the bouquet. On the palate vanilla and oak, ripe black berries and beautiful acidity. At first not extremely concentrated and less impressive than on previous occasions. A few days later I tried a small leftover which I kept in the cooler and it had opened up. So my guess is that this wine is in an intermediate stage now and will open up again in a few years from now. The first evening I scored the wine 93.
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4/30/2021 - Juliansi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blackberry, oak and leather notes with a super long finish... my second Pontet Canet, over 3 years with the last one in Hong Kong back in Christmas 2018, this is a mighty Pauillac and what a way to finish our Bordeaux evening in Her Ping Hotpot.
Thanks RL for the generous treat, what a vintage 2005 is.. cheers!
Malaysia, Apr 2021
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4/24/2021 - forgetmenot wrote:
Slow oxygenation for 6 hours. I don't think it was enough, would go for a few hours of decanter with the next bottle.
Medium - intensity nose. Blackcurrant, pencil lead, some pepper. Tannins are well integrated. Medium length, rather dry finish that asks for food.
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4/15/2021 - etyc Likes this wine:
Also decanted for ~6-hrs (in Voss btl), this came out of the gates more showy than its '03 sibling. Still young (very), this was much "prettier" than the '03, with some red-fruits element, plus beautiful scents of chocolate, spice and bits of ash. On the palate, this was texturally ripe, plush, satiny - loads of voluptuous fruit with beautiful (non-harsh) tannins underneath. Give it more time, and this will definitely blossom!
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4/6/2021 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very drinkable now and arguably in the beginning of its maturity window. Good mix of red berries, graphite/pencil, and a touch of violet. Even better days are ahead, but there's no reason not to enjoy it during its mature primary phase.
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4/3/2021 - yeti575rider wrote: 93 Points
Finally opening one of these after this bottle has followed us from East coast to west coast and back. One of my earliest "high end" purchases. Had with Filet meal to celebrate getting the JnJ vaccine on Friday. From the other notes decided to decant about 4 hours prior. Tried a bit just after opening and thought it was fantastic. The initial aromas on the pour coming out of the decanter were also intense. Another taste an hour also had my hopes up. Long finish with an ethereal sense I can't describe. So we get to dinner ... and this falls a bit flat. Not sure what the heck happened. Was still good but lost its sense of magic. Became more straightforward red and dark currant, finish seemed a bit clipped. No idea how to score or what it means. Thought this was on track for 96-97 and settled into a 92. I'll call it a 93? I'll wait another year or 2 and probably only decant briefly for the next bottle.
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3/31/2021 - RayOB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank in London
Absolutely beautiful. Go out and get some
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3/26/2021 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 94 Points
Online Blind Tasting: BDX vs Napa plus some Sweets: Tasted blind. Note based on ~ 5cl bottle, filled two days before the tasting.
Glass: Riedel Sommelier Bordeaux
Clear, deep garnet color with some brown edges. Clean, medium- intense, developing nose, rather closed or muted. Warm red fruit, classic Paulliac nose, some green pepper, herbs and spices.
Dry, medium+ acidity, high, mellow but not yet fully integrated tannin.
Medium+ body. On the palate lots of red fruit, pepper, fine tobacco and some nice mineral notes. Great pressure and tension! Lots of extract, depth and density. Long, beautiful finish. Needs air and time and far from being at its full peak. 93-94+
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3/18/2021 - gouldcampbell77 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very dark purple still - just a hint of some tawny developing deep in those inky depths. The nose is classic Pauillac: blackcurrants, pencil shavings and cigar box. Imagine tipping neat Ribena into an old leather briefcase and giving it a shake - that's what this wine smells like. And the palate lives up to the nose. The balance between the concentration of super ripe fruit, silky tannins and freshness reminds me of Monte Bello. This is drinking well with a two hour decant but probably has another 5 years to reach its peak. However it's so delicious now, I could drink this all night. In fact, I think I will.
This is top drawer wine - a great bottle from a great vintage. Could be better in time. Preferred on the night to the Leoville Poyferre 2005 which seemed to lack the freshness of the PC.
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2/17/2021 - Krokfjord Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tanninene er fint integrert og vinen har en nydelig, elegant munnfølelse. Frukten mot solbær, blåbær og kirsebær men med begynnende kompleksitet. Drikker strålende nå om du liker din Bdx full av frukt men med sekundæraromaer som gir et bredere smaksbilde. Definitivt ingen skam å åpne dette nå. Sammenlignet med min forrige 05 Pauillac - som var GPL - er dette en mer maskulin og kraftfull vin, men defintivt fortsatt med eleganse og stil. (13 prosent alko.) Flott etter bare 1-ish time med luft.
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2/3/2021 - DonWinspear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Well, hello. Upon my first sip, this is what the wine appeared to be saying. The wine is dark. The nose is, well, restrained. Hints of dark fruit and other nuances, but by no means anything that that makes you sit up and take notice. Then that first sip. Blind me and I will tell you I am drinking a wine 1/3 its age. Rich, solid tannins that offer no hint of a 15 year old Pauillac. The wine offers up beautiful dark fruit, blackberry. Maybe a hint of raspberry. There is a small sense of earth, leather, and a couple others that I could not put my finger on. The finish was long and delicate. Overall, it's beautiful. And in 5 years it will be better. Very likely 10 years as well. This beauty will stand the test of time.
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1/20/2021 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply in a great place. Gentle tannins surround a core of roasted red bell peppers, red fruits and cigar leaf. Lovely.
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12/31/2020 - malbrecht wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Very fruit forward and young still with lots of dark fruit up front and a bit of kirsch, graphite, and saddle leather poking through at the back end. If you like it young, go for it. Otherwise, I'd suggest letting this sit 10-15+ years and see what happens.
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12/31/2020 - jmoon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with its evolutionary path, entering early maturity and now balanced and enjoyable to drink after a 2 hour decant. Much of the potential seems hidden below the surface, I hope.
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12/24/2020 - levinml wrote: 94 Points
My first taste of this vintage. Really excellent with room for upside. Nice flavors and tannins reasonably balanced already. Obviously no rush and gets me real excited for other, higher rated vintages of Pontet.
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11/30/2020 - SonnyChiba wrote:
Really good as usual, but surprisingly more mature than expected. I have been drinking about 1 of these per year since 2013 and this is the first time I have noticed its age.
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11/30/2020 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for three hours. Pleasantly approachable now after a long sleep. Bottle variation? I would like to think I can begin drinking these in earnest!
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11/25/2020 - Barolo Freak Likes this wine: 92 Points
Chateau Pontet Canet is a middle class man's first growth. I have tasted numerous vintages of Pontet including 2000, 2001 and 2003. My most recent encounter was with the 2005. If you plan to drink Pontet you must be very patient. Pontet's are agers and will require at least 20 years before they can be consumed. The 2005 is no exception. I decanted my bottle three hours before dinner. My feeling is that there is great potential, and another five to ten years will greatly benefit this wine.
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11/7/2020 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
With Subha and Jim at their place, very generous of them to open this. Had about an hour in the decanter
Notes from 2018: "Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window..."
Nose was notable on this showing, classic Bdx of dark fruit, minerals and some graphite. Smooth and elegant texture, medium weight and long finish. In a great spot, as expected. Likely continues to drink at this level for a while but worth drinking now
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10/24/2020 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Clear deep ruby with a garnet watery rim; clean medium plus nose of cassis, cedar, raspberry jam, graphite and cracked fall leaves; dry; high acidity; medium plus tannins; medium alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate is slightly tarter with addition of cocoa and ripe red cherries; long finish; drink now or in 10 years; just starting the shift to tertiary; started a little hot and then transformed into an elegant Bordeaux
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10/19/2020 - pmarlo Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first of this producer and 2005 vintage. Somehow imagined prior to drinking it would be a powerhouse but instead really well blended. Many reviewers stating just getting started at 15 years and I'm not certain. I think it has held up well but from what I know the better French wines from this region can go decades. Although the cork held up well it was on the skinny side, but nevertheless did its job. Seems like there's a lot going on here and it took a day or so for all the flavors to show up. Was a softer wine upon opening but intensified over time. I will try another within the next 5 years, but I do think this one is built to age, but I am reluctant to give them more than 10 years more.
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10/17/2020 - up4wine wrote: 95 Points
This winemaker has become one of my favorite from Bordeaux, and Pauillac seems to have become my go to appellation on the left bank. Just a spectacular wine from a spectacular vintage. This wine is truly great, but I think even at 15 it might still be considered a youngster.
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9/25/2020 - Axelpeter wrote: 96 Points
Oliver Mus) Wunderbare Fruchttiefe, schöne Säure reif und rund, langer Abgang (97PP), hält noch lang ...
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9/4/2020 - popopdrops wrote: flawed
Oksidert.
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9/3/2020 - beatles wrote: flawed
badly corked
#Anarki
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8/20/2020 - 321Nomad Likes this wine: 96 Points
PNP just to see how it tasted without decanting. You could get away with it, plenty of fruit very little oak but I am sure that it will be amazing with time.
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7/31/2020 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another Birthday Dinner for Angela (Our House, Hong Kong): Decanted for 5 hours (which I'd suggest as the absolute minimum if you want to try a bottle now). Deep, totally opaque red-black colour with the merest lightening to a still opaque red at the meniscus. Nose is OMG....a big 'hit' of linear and very primal but warm and welcoming fruit with tannins that have softened slightly beyond the inky stage, lots of graphite and hints of damp forest loam. The palate is similar - very firm and somewhat austere but with sufficiently softening tannins to be just about approachable yet remaining very stern; great structure, deep but bitter cherry fruit combined with green Chinese Bitter Melon on the back palate which was too predominant to ignore. But....this has a beautiful cathedral-like resonance inside the head on the finish that will only grow more with a slow march towards maturity. We drank this alongside a 2001 Cos D'Estournel, which was half-open...but this wine will need much longer than 4 more years to even reach that stage. Not even strong French cheeses could open it up. 93 easy for now...but I would hide it away for another 7-10 years.
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7/4/2020 - Vine Likes this wine: 94 Points
What a revelation after my bad experience the night before with two bottles of stewed, cooked, porty 2005 Pavie Macquin! This was classic Pauillac - muscular on entry with a feminine finish. First rate Bordeaux that is drinking beautifully.
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6/29/2020 - Kiranonwine Likes this wine:
Outstanding but still v primal. Needed a very long decant 4+ hrs to show.
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6/20/2020 - Édifice Likes this wine: 96 Points
Incredible bouquet of ripe blackberries, blueberries, grilled peppers, tiny bit of underbrush, vanilla and mint. The palate is wonderfully balanced, sweet, fresh, fruit, silky and lush, very complex and dense yet still light. It has very fine-grained tannins, still sticking out a bit, spiciness and a bit tobacco on the finish. It still feels young but such a pleasure to drink.
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6/19/2020 - Eric99 wrote: 89 Points
Intense, dark and deep but after 15 years not charming at all. Requires at least another 10 years of storage.Only time will show whether the wine really is a blockbuster deserving higher rates.
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6/1/2020 - sole wrote: 94 Points
Tight as a drum for first 2 hours post decant. Started to open up in hour 3. Drinkable after 4.5+ hours. Lovely wine showing the potential to be great. 94 points could grow to 96-97.
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5/29/2020 - raj1606 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours, and it started to open up. At the 4 hour point, it was exceptional. This is a beautiful wine but it needs time. Be patient, and you will be rewarded.
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5/26/2020 - Paprika2016 wrote:
Ingekocht voor EUR110 per fles
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5/21/2020 - mpoel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark color, nose of dark fruit, ripe. Concentrated and a lot of body but not heavy. Tannins still there -
But ripe. Lovely texture already and gives already immens pleasure. Maybe even better in 5 years?
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4/26/2020 - skifree Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very dark garnet in the glass with a very thin meniscus. Decanted, and savored two glasses over the evening. Luscious black fruit and anise on the nose. Very P-C in the mouth, very bright and fresh, like tart currant on top of the black fruit and anise. Tannins have receded nicely in this bottle; still there with some mint as well but not obtrusive. Lovely.
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4/19/2020 - cpme Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had a bottle with Colin and agreed very smoothe. Colin was home due to Covid-19 quarantine
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4/12/2020 - jmcmchi wrote: 91 Points
Attractive dark berry aromas with a hint of graphite
Long firm tannins, still some way from softening
Decanted 4 hours, 65f with carre d'agneau
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4/4/2020 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 95 Points
Rich cassis with a bit of plum. Voluptuous level of fruit but not heavy. It has a great freshness to it. I think still needs more time if you can wait. In 5 years it should be even better. Pontet Canet has been my go to Bordeaux for 20 years. this vintage is a must try.
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3/29/2020 - culater Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decant for 5 hours, excellent bottle and I will wait 5 years before opening the next. It will probably peak in 2030. You are lucky if you have some of these bottles in your cellar!
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3/27/2020 - Marc wrote: 93 Points
Still completely primary - tight, structured, lip-smacking acids. Beautiful cabernet fruit, with plenty of currant, earth and minerals. Feathery tannic structure. A touch of bottle age development. Super balance, laser focus. This wine needs at least another five years before tertiary nuance begins to reveal itself. The Pichon Baron 1990 drunk earlier in the week (97 points) was totally instructive as to the direction this wine should hopefully move to in terms of development, although this wine will never reach the heights of the PB in that vintage! 93+++ - it should turn into something outstanding - extraordinary in the next 15 - 20 years.
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3/20/2020 - Handy1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Slow ox for 5 hours. Nice fruit up front tannins almost resolved. Very smooth. Short ensing of about 20 seconds. Definitely ready to go.
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3/12/2020 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
very Californian!
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2/29/2020 - SGoenophile Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dinner at Venue by Sebastians. Decanted for 2+ hours. Dark purple, almost black. Tannins softened but must have been quite formidable in its youth. Good weight and structure. Beautiful ripe fruit, quite dense, reflecting the generosity of the vintage. Not heavy or overpowering and well balanced with lots of freshness. Very enjoyable and one of the best left bank reds I have had. To me, great Pauillac (such as this wine) represents the quintessence of Bordeaux.
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2/26/2020 - hawkeye194223 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I really liked it. Completely closed upon popping the cork, but opened nicely after sitting for a while. Recommend a 3-4 hour decant. Probably a 96 in a few more years.
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2/13/2020 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 96 Points
Similar comments to previous note only more so! Great wine.
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12/27/2019 - yourcenar Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very impressive wine. Strong, opulent and still young. Tanins still very present. To be opened at least 2 to 3 hours in advance. But the result is remarkable
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12/11/2019 - waywardsailor wrote: 95 Points
Wonderful nose of fruits. Well balanced palate with very fine tannins. Drinking well now but still have years of life ahead of it.
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12/8/2019 - Turtlerider Likes this wine:
This week I put the wine through a Vinturi aerator twice. It opened up much more than from just sitting in the glass and breathing. The fruit was much more noticeable and the wine far more complex. For me, this is the best way to serve this wine at this point in its evolution.
We had the wine with marinated T-Bones off the grill, wilted spinach salad (with bacon fat dressing) and home made fries.
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11/30/2019 - Turtlerider wrote:
I poured a glass at noon and another glass at 3:00 PM. I let both sit on the kitchen counter until dinner time at 6:00 PM. Both my wife and I tried them just before dinner and during dinner. I could not tell the difference between the two, however my lovely wife said the 3:00 PM wine was slightly more bitter.
Both were closed, had little bouquet, however, both smelled of alcohol and were a little hot on the pallet. I got a little lead pencil and dark fruit of both glasses.
Both glasses were nice with dinner (homemade burgers over a wood fire), but I feel like his wine should be a lot more.
I’ll try the next glass through an aerator to see if that makes a difference.
If you have this wine, I think it’s too early to open. I’ll add comments on the aerated glass in the next few weeks.
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11/28/2019 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine with great nose and dense dark core of fruit and long finish. Great showing!
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11/25/2019 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #353; New World against France in every flight (@ RW): This 2005 Pontet Canet is much more my style. Beautiful and deep, complex bouquet with dark berries, chocolate, oak and cedar as well as some bell pepper. Same on the palate where all impressions come back; so a very harmonious wine with beautiful acidity and tannin with a future of at least another decade. Elegance as well. 96+
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11/24/2019 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Really early maturity right now, probably best to wait another 5 years if you can. With that said, this wine is really starting to live up to its potential. It is drinking better and better every time I try it. This bottle was showing much better than the bottle from 6mths ago, and noticeably better than the bottle from a year ago. Proper Bordeaux.
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11/24/2019 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 94 Points
needed a 2+ hour decant
a magnificent baby with everything going on earth, dark fruit some secondary notes
very early in it's drinking window
hard to believe this is considered a 5th growth
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11/24/2019 - Turtlerider Likes this wine:
In a moment of weakness I decided to open one of these. It doesn’t make sense to have them in the cellar if you are not going to drink them and part of the fun is trying them and seeing what they are like.
So, first impression was the Tannins are super fine, I had a small sip just after pulling the cork and the tannins grip the entire inside surface of your mouth. Dinner is in about two hours. I probably should have opened this earlier, many of the other comments on Cellar Tracker suggest at least 3 or more hours of breathing time...Live and learn.
We are having prime rib, cauliflower mash (with Parm and butter) and roasted Brussels spouts. It’s been a long day of homework with my 12 year old son, so I deserve this.
My glass of wine was able to breath for about two hours. I have to agree with others on Cellar Tracker, the wine seemed to be opening up and I think another hours or so might have been beneficial.
It was closed and tight, not really a great experience...not bad, but not what I expected, or maybe hoped for...
I’ll have another glass later this week and I’ll be sure to allow that to breather for about 4 hours prior to the meal.
The bottle is preserved under food grade nitrogen and will last 2 months like that. I’ve got a few weeks to experiment.
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11/21/2019 - robertek wrote: 94 Points
Better than 2010 at this time. Or at least more complex.
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11/15/2019 - Gourmet Christian Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent 3 almost 4 hours decant, it developed very nicely, tried every hour after opening it doubled ever hour in terms of nose and richness, it reached a first drinking window and already offers endless pleasure if you are patient
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11/3/2019 - Mark1npt Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped around 1pm for Sunday dinner. On opening just the faintest of a soft barnyard nose along with dark fruit. Still dark garnet in the glass with a faint lighter garnet rim. Initial sip, medium+ weight, medium + astringency, fruit is red currant slightly tart/bitter. 60 minutes in, and the tart/bitterness on the end of the fruit begins to subside. More lead pencil and briar components emerge. Hour two, the fruit deepens and begins to sweeten. Nose continues to evolve with light sweet florals emerging. The astringency prevalent on opening is reduced now by 70%. Hour 3 in decanter, classic nose firms a bit, fruit deepens, cassis adds more length to the fruit, makes you want to swirl in your mouth a long time before swallowing. Slight herbal component showing up on the end. Hour 4 and throughout dinner.......dry, French BDX perfection. The remaining astringency cuts through the pan charred ribeye perfectly. It's a soft red fruited heaven. A bit of game meat/iron on the nose and in the mouth with just the perfect amount of acidity remaining. To me, and my tastes, hour 4 is where I want to be, in all it's secondary glory. The finish is very good however it's 10-15 second down ramp is just a tad short to me. Will be interesting to see how this wine progresses into its tertiary existence down the road over the next 10 years.
ps.....having said all the above.....hour 5 is pretty damn good, too....maybe the best of the evening!
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10/27/2019 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
This opened a bit on the tight side at the 90 minute mark. Delicious cherry and berry fruit. At the three hour mark things started happening and this evolved beautifully over the next 2 hours. Me thinks this is just entering a drinkable stage but that patience will be amply rewarded in another couple of years minimum. I expect it to score higher then.
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10/19/2019 - brooklynguy wrote:
Decanted three hours before drinking. Dried fruit on the nose, initially, but smooths out over time. This is a lush wine but it’s well balanced and elegant. It’s very well made and of very high quality. But it shows nothing whatsoever of what I know to be Bordeaux terroir. At least the way that was expressed in wines before 1990. Served blind this could have been mistaken for any number of wines from any number of places.
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10/1/2019 - Grinner wrote: 94 Points
Decanted at 5pm, back in the bottle at 6pm, start tasting at 7pm at Bar Purlieu.
My last bottle on 11/1/15 note:
WOTFlight, this was BIG, dark, and deep with stone notes vying with the cassis, blackberry, earth, and cedar. Tannic and long. Wait, decant (we did 17 hours), and wait some more. Next in 2-3 years. 93 on day 2. (8322 views)
Tannins have settled down 2 notches and have 1-2 to go. Otherwise very similar and great with lamb chop and the pork belly skewers!
Good chance I'll save my last for another 3-5 years.
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9/30/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Not fully mature, but if you like your Pauillac on the young side, working its way over to mature, this is in a good place. With an hour in the decanter, the wine serves up a blast of cassis, blackberry, tobacco and wet earth. Full-bodied, concentrated and filled with fruit and freshness, in the finish the wine is just a bit shorter than I would have liked. Another 3-5 years in the cellar should be about right, else 2 hours in the decanter will work nicely.
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9/28/2019 - winemanintheden Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excited to try this one. From a 375ml bottle. Popped and poured. On the nose, beautiful dark red fruits, coffee, lots of complexity and terroir. Very vibrant and stunning. On the palette was amazed by the absolutely beautiful elegant and balanced structure. So much going on. Tannins have soften nicely. Still feels young with so many years ahead but had to see where this was at as it’s one of those things where eventually you have to open and give it a shot. Also love the aftertaste. There’s a floral note. Like daisies which I’d never imagine from Pauillac but more from Margaux. Haven’t had many but this 2005 Pontet Canet is truly a classic and quality made wine. Nothing over the top but simply ‘balanced’.
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9/20/2019 - novie1234 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still needs time. Had a somewhat disappointing experience with this wine tonight. Felt like a very young BDX, so indicative of the 05 vintage. It needs time - I am not opening any more of this case for at least 3-5 years.
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9/15/2019 - wineismylife wrote: 93 Points
WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of aspirin, white pepper, plums and boysenberries. Flavors of red cherries, red berries and plums. Medium to bright acidity, firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. No rush.
Martha's Birthday.
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9/15/2019 - Raizes Likes this wine: 92 Points
黑莓和黑醋栗的成熟果味,新桶带来的甜香料和白巧克力香气,一点泥土。香气的年轻感准确地延续到口感上,高质量的单宁和酸度让酒拥有比较刺激感官的愉悦度,但整体风格还是略显现代并伴随着少许令人介意的肌肉感。很好的展示了自己,但并不够让人印象深刻。
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9/11/2019 - bubbachumps wrote: 96 Points
Pauillac, Margaux or St Emilion for Mid-Week Wine Group (Shear's Grotto): Hard to believe this was tied for the oldest wine of the tasting. DId not show any age. Beautiful perfumed nose with blackberry, graphite, touch of earth and herbs. Really great bouquet on this wine. On the palate, tannins well integrated and just hitting on all cylinders, had a somewhat Cali profile. Everyone loved this wine. Finished 1 of 6.
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9/7/2019 - LiteItOnFire wrote: 89 Points
Tasting among Napa giants consisting of 58 wines. No notes as spitting was frowned upon with my group... even punishable. Top wines 2018 Keplinger Oakville and Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet, Tusk, 2016 Colgin Tychson Hill, 2016 Vine Hill Ranch, Maxem Pinot and Chardonnay (tied for top QPR with La Pelle), La Pelle SB & Cabernet, 2012 Del Dotto Beast. Runner ups 2018 Memento Mori SVDs, 2018 Vice Versa, 2018 Keplinger Sumo and Lithic, 2016 Dana Hershey, 2016 Colgin Cariad and IX Estate.
Was super excited for the vertical tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron, owner of Château Pontet-Canet tasted with us on the following vintages: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016. Unfortunately for my palate, the 2015 I tried earlier this year and the 2016 were more towards my palate preference than the older vintages. Worth the freight but no need to purchase back vintages. Great experience!
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9/7/2019 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pontet Canet tasting and dinner with Alfred Tesseron.
When beauty arrives, it moves every sense in the body. This is what happens when you have the 05 after 11, 12, 13, 06 & 08. The 05 would be great anytime, not just after lesser vintages.
The body is silky, satin and velvety. The fruits are round, ripe and lush. They truly show the greatness of the vintage. It’s great tonight but, this is a long way from being truly ready. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, hint of blue & purple fruits & strawberries. Medium dark spice, soft baking spices, black licorice, both chocolates, moist clay, limestone, dry crushed rocks, old tobacco, graphite, dry herbs, rich dark soils, dry stones, bright, candied, red, dark, blue florals. The acidity is excellent and the long finish is well balanced, nicely polished and persists nicely with a dark spice long set.
Excellent with our lamb chops.
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9/6/2019 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine was way too young even after a three hour decant. However, the way it kept improving over the course of dinner provided a sneak peak as to what it could be in the future. A lot going on here, black currants, blackberries, black cherries, blueberries, black raspberries, plums, licorice, tobacco, earthiness, and minerals. Full-bodied, complex, very well balanced, and a very long lingering finish.
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8/25/2019 - danhenry11 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking really nicely right now.
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8/20/2019 - J-Sho Likes this wine: 94 Points
continues to drink amazingly
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8/16/2019 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Took to Seattle Wine Group tasting with a theme of "not ready yet". This exceeded expectations. Decanted when I arrived about an hour before tasting. Great core of black fruit but then this wall of tannins took over at the finish. After 24 hours, the wall had receded noticeably, but were still there and took away from the freshness of the wine. I may never be thrilled by my 2005 Bdx's…… Or maybe they will be thrilling in 50 years.
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8/16/2019 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
Tight, quite concenrated, blackberry galore but with a good form structure,m and a good backbone; balancedm, but not drinking ideal right now, I think, wait for this - even though it is indeed a modern Bordeaux-wine, a left banker made by a Pomerol-man ...
#Anarki#NYC-group
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7/10/2019 - jmoon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Slightly stuck between phases. Lost the juicy fresh fruity puppy fat of a few years ago but still fairly tightly wound, dark, brooding and not very open or secondary yet. One hour decant and drank over an hour. Sour cherries, cranberry, beginning of leather. But really quite sour and tannic still. Will save my remaining pontet 05 for another 3-5 years until my next bottle. 05 is a slow brood for so many left bankers. 90 for pleasure now, 92 for justice, potential higher, probably.
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6/26/2019 - CS_pikes wrote: 95 Points
From 375. Exceptional bottle of BDX. Beginning to show aged BDX characteristics. Many years of life ahead, but at 14 years old, it's starting to bloom. Haven't had this wine for 7+ years and was skeptical based on tasting back then, but no more. Looking forward to the next 20+ years.
Not really sure how to score it as I've become less enamored with numbers. But, it is excellent and I'm very glad to have more.
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6/22/2019 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great wine that is still quite primarily even after a two hour decant. I would hold off another 4-5 years on this.
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6/5/2019 - barryjkeller@gmail.com wrote:
Not sure to be honest. Very young and closed still even after 5 hours decant. I would say not before 2025.
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5/22/2019 - drjb Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wine Group Dinner #168 - 2005 Bordeaux Part 1 (Urbane Restaurant, Brisbane): Wine Group Dinner #168, Urbane. The 2005 Pontet Canet is a very dense crimson colour with a nose of blackcurrant pastilles, black raspberry, dark chocolate with violet touches, spice and cedar. The palate is rich and round with plenty of complexity that edges on the exotic without crossing over. There is perhaps not the persistence of other wines tasted tonight but the whole package is quite primary and there is plenty of life ahead to develop that ! Delicious.
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5/22/2019 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
Bordeaux tasting (at my home): med ruby
med aromas intensity of red cherries, bilberries, cranberries, oak-vanilla, earth, smoked meat,
still developing
dry, high acidity, high tannins, med abv, full body, pronounced flavours intensity consistent with the nose, mint, eucalyptus, licorice, long elegant finish
can drink now - suitable for further ageing
outstanding
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5/14/2019 - caskratz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fresh crushed strawberry, haribo cherry fruit, red, plum, raspberry, creaminess, green olive, eucalyptus, lavendel, methol, cassis.
Wine is very fruit forward, I was amazed about the clarity and precise style on the fruit. Lovely compaction in the wine, bit of puppy fat. Tannines weren't yet fully integrated. Young.
What can I say, it's a lovely wine definitely for the long haul.
Finish was 10+ seconds
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5/13/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Margaux / Saint-Julien 2005 tasting (with many other wines too) (Restaurant Vineum, Rotterdam, NL): Tasted blind. Very youthful appearance; perfectly classical nose, gravel, flowers, hint of green; elegant, even playful palate, vibrant and lively, juicy fruit, energetic grip (more skin than oak), very pure, excellent persistence in a feminine style. From the same case as the bottle tasted in February, but seems more developed.
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5/13/2019 - dvansteenderen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasted blind. Perhaps not a very good bottle. We knew it was a pirate in a flight of 2005 Margaux, we also knew it was Bordeaux but when we saw the label we were a bit disappointed. Also did not perform on the level of the 2005 Château Pontet-Canet tasted in February of this year...
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5/3/2019 - SonnyChiba wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 4 hours. So good right now but still so much more to come. Was in a similar place to the 05’ Cos I drank recently. Both will be as good as it gets in another 5+ years.
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4/30/2019 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 94 Points
Closed nose, massive structure, high acidity all suggest to me to try again in 5 plus years or so.
Cured meat, black currant on the nose. Sweet tannin and cassis on the palate with an earthy spine. This was noticeable after some food.
Starting to open up, the nose becoming more expressive. Flowers, iodine and iron. Roasted coffee is starting to become pronounced. Hours after I'm getting significant graphite and pencil lead.
This is the biggest Pauillac I've had so ironically if I had anything to compare it with, Pahlmeyer and Verite La Joie are wines that come to mind, not other Pauillac or other Bordeaux such as Ch. Margaux.
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3/23/2019 - jonanator wrote:
Nose is reserved but with some swirls, it is absolutely captivating. Really needs more time though, as on the palate, the wine just didn't have that oomph that the nose would suggest.
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3/10/2019 - W!neNot? wrote: 96 Points
Bottle at Andrew Edmunds. Decanted for one hour. Rich blackcurrant fruit dominates. This is a concentrated wine, showing little to no sign of development yet. Really rich flavours, but will take decades to develop more. If you want a fruit driven, dense, rich wine, this is that now. But I suspect this has much much more to give in the future. Will probably peak in 15-20 years.
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3/3/2019 - mclanew Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted 30 minutes which isn’t close to enough. Terrific nose of blackberries, herbs. The palate is massive and structured with tremendous concentration but at the same time retains its balance. This sports flavors of black and blue fruit, lead pencil and tobacco. This finishes with a very long finish and which is focused and detailed. Marvellous. I look forward to tasting this as it ages.
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3/2/2019 - ducrufan Likes this wine: 94 Points
dunklere Farbe, keine nennenswerte Alterung sichtbar. Viel Kirsche in der opulenten Nase, Barrique, sehr nahe an der Rosine, was mit Luftkontakt allerdings dezenter wird. Hat viel Kraft, schmeckt frischer, als der erste Naseneindruck glauben macht, bei aller Fülle ist da auch viel Struktur vorhanden. Ein sehr moderner Medoc, schon trinkbar, ich würde ihm aber trotzdem noch Zeit geben, da kommt noch mehr. 94+/100
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3/1/2019 - NorwAmateur Likes this wine: 93 Points
Four years since my first bottle, and it has opened up. Dark berries and the tannins have started to integrate. Perhaps the aftertaste could have lasted longer. I think it still will improve by further cellaring.
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2/23/2019 - SeaSmoke wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. Beautiful garnet color. Blackberry, vanilla, raspberry, tobacco leaf, and dark chocolate on the nose and palate. Extended finish with tannins still evident. This wine still has many, many years left. I won't open another for at least 5 years.
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2/19/2019 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #026; Bordeaux 2005 (by DJ): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, good oak and overall really complex. On the palate dark and red berries, juicy acidity, good cassis, beautiful oak and beautifully round. Tasting fully blind I wrote down; really an extremely great wine. 96+
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2/6/2019 - etyc Likes this wine:
Had this beside the 2013 Saffredi. PC definitely needed more time to open up, whereas the Saffredi was definitely more open from the get-go. PC (to me) won hands-down from a concentration/complexity/sapidity point-of-view, but Saffredi was the "prettier", or more elegant drink at this juncture. PC was more about "Indian Ink", leather, dark-red fruits and ripe tannins at this juncture; No doubt that this will be a great drink in time to come...
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2/2/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
Clos des Réas / Pontet-Canet tasting-cum-lunch (Restaurant Bak, Amsterdam, NL): This is the bees knees, was spectacular in youth and then completely closed down, and is only slowly re-emerging from its shell. Patience is still required.
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2/2/2019 - dvansteenderen Likes this wine: 94 Points
2000-2011 Pontet Canet. Third wine in the second flight. Good full ruby-red. Complex nose. Delicious taste with black raspberry, licorice, minerals, bitter chocolate, lead pencil and cedar spice box. Very thick, but also silky.
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2/1/2019 - Hazeo wrote: 95 Points
Still a baby but oh so delicious. Showing it's stuff more than the last bottle but I should've been a lot more patient … next bottle in at least 5-10 years.
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1/7/2019 - barryjkeller@gmail.com wrote:
I didn’t find it approachable (3 hours decant). Quite tannic. Needs loooots of time (closed compared to Lynch Bages of same year, much preferred that). Nothing like the 2010 I had previously. Not sure to be honest.
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12/25/2018 - mtarrant003 Likes this wine: 96 Points
We offered this the respect due and gave it five hours in the decanter ahead of Christmas dinner which was duly repaid.
Lots of black fruit and confected cherries on the nose from the get-go, with tobacco and spice emerging as time went on. Incredibly weighty on the palate but also very smooth with a medium finish. Somehow a little of this remained until Boxing Day and was still going strong with further emergence of spicy and earthy flavours. Good times.
This is clearly only just getting started and has a very long life ahead of it during which it will no doubt gain in complexity. My most recent point of comparison for this vintage was a bottle of Cos d'Estournel, just over the St Estephe-Pauillac border in close proximity to Pontet Canet and so for me is a helpful comparison. The Cos was also excellent but quite a bit more evolved than the PC and maybe a sign of things to come here.
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11/26/2018 - ledocq Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding. Needed (underline that) five hours decant and after that it was all the things I'd hoped. What a finish. In 10 years it'll be even better.
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11/25/2018 - grossie Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drunk at my 50th. Huge, took a long decant and continued to expand over the night. Great wine with a gorgeous finish. Will be even better in another 5-10 years.
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11/22/2018 - Siebs Cellar Likes this wine: 97 Points
Great structure and intense but nuanced fruit. Did not need food, but was great with it.
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11/15/2018 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful wine. Great purity and depth of flavors. Lots of cherry with subtle hints of exotic spices that captivate the imagination. It is so much better than the first bottle we had. Double decanted and found very little in the way of solids.
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10/18/2018 - Mculfsson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great wine, but far too young to drink now
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9/30/2018 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted for 2 hours
Chalkyness, cherry, perfumie, finally after 40mins some wet forest floor, mushroom Ludens, some rose all nose. Very soft. Flavors rose, cherry, some chalkiness flavors
Light mouthfeel, a bit tight
Very light for a cab.
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9/29/2018 - AJCM Likes this wine: 90 Points
75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot, 13% alcohol
Before drinking, decanted for 1h
Medium red, full body.
Started with high acidity, difficult to approach, intense.
After 3-4h decant it got a little more palatable, but still to intense. I really don’t see its potential...it’s already been 13 years and it really isn’t showing much. Maybe it needs another 10 years to soften up...
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9/24/2018 - Chimer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Huge colour and much more approachable than a couple of years ago. This is still a big dense Pauillac that needed decanting. Lots of dark sumptuous ripe fruit, solid and rich, tannins are still pronounced, still a bit firm. Not sure if this will ever be elegant but no shortage of stuffing.
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9/3/2018 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #301: 6 great and completely different flights. (@ VD): Truly beautiful and complex bouquet with sweet spices and dark berries. On the palate still a powerful wine with dark and red berries, some bell pepper, beautiful and well integrated oak, good acidity nicely balanced by some sweetness and round, firm tannin. This wine will easily last another 2 decades, but is already a great pleasure now. 96+
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8/8/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
2005 Pontet Canet is rich and remains deeply colored. The tannins are soft and the firmness if youth is being replaced with more elegance. Notes of tobacco leaf, cigar box, earth and dark chocolate ride along with the fresh, blackberry and cassis. 2 hours of decanting worked its magic. But if you can wait until 2025, you’re going to have an even better experience.
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7/16/2018 - abh wrote:
French Wine at Lunch, and with the World Cup final: Quite an engaging, approachable, nose, with ripe, moderately dark fruits. Still evidently very young in the mouth, but not as unapproachable as I was expecting, and impeccably balanced. Young claret isn't really my thing but this was more than an academic exercise to drink now (unlike the Pichon-Baron alongside).
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7/11/2018 - Senso-beak wrote: 91 Points
Opened from a half bottle chilled and poured. Tight of course and needed warmth and air. Initially herbal and sour. Fleshed out with a few days for sure. Throwing sediment. Initially I was disappointed, but that was unfair. By day three under vacuvin this had really evolved and gave me a sense of what this will be like in a few years. Initially there was some creamy vanilla cherry, and that gained depth over time to be brighter, heavier red cherry. On the nose it was very very nice from the first cork pull, showing lots of florals, rose, herbs. I think this still needs time, and will keep the other five down for several more years before trying the next.
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6/2/2018 - rickswan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amazingly enough this still needs more time. I opened the bottle 4 hours before dinner. It didn’t show itself fully until day 2. Classic Pauillac nose, deep fruits, long finish. Will wait a few years for the next bottle.
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5/27/2018 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
This is coming along nicely, but really needs 3-5+ years before it can really start to strut its stuff.
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5/25/2018 - robertek wrote: 95 Points
This is getting there surely but oh so slowly. Love it though - as young as it still is. Tannins are under control, lovely Pauillac nose and tons of fruit on the palate. Very enjoyable now but will develop into a Grand Vin.
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5/7/2018 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
Another great dinner organized by Mark T -BYO and impromptu Opera with Patrick, Paolo, Hoksoo, Alex, Courtney (Vic's Restaurant - New York City): Opened later, drank after the 1990 Cos D'Estournel and 2000 Pavie Decesse, revisiting during the course of the evening.
Consistent with prior notes: "Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window..."
This took some time to really show, would have benefited from more air upfront. Elegant and still youthful, the wine has a long way to go if wanting to cellar. Excellent
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5/7/2018 - Jdwinedrinker wrote:
For me this needs more time. Decanted several hours and tried again on day 2. Giving up little, waxy oak flavor still prominent.
I will hold rest of my case for a few years before trying again.
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5/5/2018 - mflesh wrote: 95 Points
Poured from a 375. This wine, even from 375, was really firing on all cylinders and maybe even a bit locked up for the first hour, just shows you that any vintage in the 21st century really should be locked up in the vault, not seeing the light of day for another 10 years from 375. This wine had a classic Pauillac nose. My initial thought was a young Pichon however even Pichon young seems to have more mushroom, more earthy loam and gravel and this one was just so damn smooth in its earthy notes. The wine was robust on the front, lots of earth, mushroom enhancing the youthful blackberry notes. Finished with some peppery notes. Great terroir notes. This wine was awesome, and I think I probably drank half of this while Walter drank the Spoto :)
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4/12/2018 - ctjared Likes this wine:
Spectacular !! needs a bit of air to get going. the best of pontet
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4/8/2018 - curtr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still young, great depth, decant 2-3 hours. Will be better in 5 years minimum.
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4/3/2018 - dlcass Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely wine. Youthful. Didn't show as well as the 2005 Ancient Way Hundred Acre Shirsaz which was magnificent.
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3/29/2018 - rc@ughey wrote: 91 Points
Ripe, glossy, and opulent--with sweet oak, fine tannins, and style--this is a crowd-pleaser and, even to the jaded, quite tasty. Still young but is absolutely drinkable now on the younger end. Has the concentration to improve further.
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3/28/2018 - danhenry11 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pure Pauillac. Graphite, tobacco, and red fruits. A little early for '05 yet, this one has a long way to go.
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3/7/2018 - Ramberg wrote: 91 Points
Extremely dense and concentrated nose.
Vanilla, oak, dark chocolate, black sappy and extracted fruit perfume with some smoke.
Palate is dense, big (huge), concentrated yet quite smooth and soft.
Mainly black ripe fruits, plums, blackberries, dark cherries with oak spices showing at this point (vanilla and chocolate on the palate too).
At this point I must say that I am not 100% sure of this wine, and where it will go?
Way to young (for my taste anyway) tonight to really tell.
At this point it feels rather heavy and packed, but with time (at least 10 years) this might end up someplace very good.
So my humble advise to anyone that plans to pop one of these and expect it to be fully ready to enjoy are to keep it, and wait.
For a decade or two…Based on my guess and tonight show.
Hard to rate, but again based on tonight’s showing I would say in a wide span of somewhere between 91 – 93 + points potential?
Tonight it did not convince me.
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2/18/2018 - jeff nowak wrote: 90 Points
Decanted, and followed for 48 hours. Somewhat austere and less pleasurable than earlier tastings. I presume the argument is that it is closed. I’d not be willing to cellar for another 10 years to test that opinion. Despite this being my first note, I’ve had this wine 2-3 times previously, both formally and casually. Primary note is paulliac lead pencil, but the fruit isn’t as plush as in my memory. The wine held decently via Private Preserve™ but was at its best on the first day. In theory this is a long lived wine, but not this bottle.
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1/29/2018 - J-Sho Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine - drinking in the zone. Dark in color with notes of lead pencil, dark berries, wet stone and mineral. Complex and smooth on the palate with a moderate beautiful finish. BTW - paired amazingly with grilled to medium sirloin/chuck hamburgers.
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1/24/2018 - rooman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still a massive wine. Took it to Colorado with us from Sydney. Gave it a week or two standing up and it was still impenetrable. I doubt I will try another for 5 years min. Eventually though it should be an imposing wine with true Paulliac strength inside a velvet glove
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1/19/2018 - otessler Likes this wine: 93 Points
375cc. 1 lhr decant. Aerated. Still tight but delicious. Will save my 750 for another 5yrs min.
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1/1/2018 - jmcmchi Likes this wine: 93 Points
A couple of years since last bottle, with moderate development since then
Open 5 hours, decanted two hours, still benefitted from vinturi for second and subsequent glasses
At this point, it's all about structure and density, dark and smokey berries over taut tannins
Note to self: hold off on next bottle for four years
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12/31/2017 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Still incredibly tight and tannic, though showing the stuffing to mature into a wonderful wine in due time. Bright cherries with some leather and cedar. Rich, with great acidity and lengthy, burly tannin.
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11/2/2017 - MarkMich wrote: 95 Points
3 hour decant. Fabulous and believe it will continue to improve for decades.
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10/23/2017 - R. Hung Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purple core with slight garnet rim. Lots of blue berries, hints of vanilla , violet and lead pencil on the nose. Acidity higher than expected but still very good balance. Lots of black fruit, liquorice and spices with well integrated tannin. Long finish. Drinking well now but will continue to improve.
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10/13/2017 - The taste athlete wrote: 93 Points
Fruit mix, juicy and spicy keys, acids but everything is much more precise here.
Accurate wine just say.
There is also a new layer of fruit every time, the longer you make this wine go in your mouth!
Very long, Finesse and yet so full.
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10/10/2017 - Kris G Likes this wine: 93 Points
discrete nose but very fine, dark fruits, lovely structure, subtile wood, slightly toasted, fantastic acids with a lot of underlying fruits, 93+
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10/8/2017 - Vinogan(s) wrote: 93 Points
Cassis, luxurious wood, ripe red and dark fruit, slight bitter and coffee. Some tobacco. Great wine, incredibly refined and harmonious. Great. Drinking nice now but has years left.
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10/5/2017 - Plabella Likes this wine: 98 Points
this wine is perfect and could not be better. Great balance great mouth feel.
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9/4/2017 - bonedoc wrote: 94 Points
Both lines double decanted , and drank over five hours.
2005 pichon baron: more milk chocolate, darker fruit profile, sweetness to the fruit, mocha, less structured, silky mouthfeel. 95
2005 pontet canet: Lighter fruit profile, purple and red fruits, amazing structure and acidity, not as sweet and jammy as the pichon, but beautiful, just entering it's drinking window I would say (with decant). 94
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8/29/2017 - B Paul wrote: 94 Points
Seems to have a little new world polish to it. Very good. Will continue to age well for many years. Decant if you open now. 94+
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7/8/2017 - robertek wrote: 94 Points
Finally - this wine is approachable. Promises more but this time the tannin's were in check and the wine alot more balanced.
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6/17/2017 - SteveVermeer Likes this wine: 92 Points
No hurry, great Bordeaux that will surely receive a better score in five to ten years. Great nose with great length, enjoy.
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6/7/2017 - bboard wrote:
Brought to restaurant but only decanted for 30 mins, drank over next 1.5hrs. Given the short consumption time, our notes probably doesn't give full picture. On the nose, cassis, black currant, oak, leather. Palate is dominant with fresh acidity, with some fruits, follow by earth, graphite. Tasted better at each 30 mins interval, with more fruit each time - so wine is on the way up. My guess a good 2-3 hrs decant would be best. Ok to try now if you've got multiple bottles, else check back next year at minimum
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5/26/2017 - vespasian wrote:
Deep coloured ruby; great fruit on the nose - still quite primary but showing lovely complexity and a range of berried nuances intermingled with graphite. Good intensity and definition; tannins starting to resolve themselves though this is still a baby, very youthful on the palate. Very fresh acidity. Still needs time to ameliorate. Keep.
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5/13/2017 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good but not ready yet. Drank up against the '04, which showed much better. Wait a few more years or decant.
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4/12/2017 - John McCabe wrote:
Decanted for one hour. Feels very closed. Difficult to rate really. The nose has some beautiful, creamy and floral notes but on the palate it is completely cloaked; has a pencil led and metalic feel. This might need 10+ years.
Starts to open up after the 2nd glass. Has more charm with the third or fourth glass but really it's infanticide to try this now. There is quality but it's difficult to justify the price at this stage. That assessment might very well change a lot in like 10 years though.
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4/4/2017 - Andre Brattland wrote: 95 Points
Same as earlier notes.
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3/23/2017 - lvjohn wrote: 92 Points
I concur with GENE_MO. This wine has been properly cellared and left undisturbed since its arrival. I hope it's just in a protracted "dumb" stage.
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3/20/2017 - Gene_Mo wrote: 92 Points
Mild tannins, not much fruit, pencil lead or graphite is prevalent. Expected more. Don't know if it will improve.
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2/21/2017 - Zweder Likes this wine: 97 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #016: Bordeaux 2005 ... How does it show now? (By VD): In the bouquet dark berries like cassis and blueberry, luxurious oak, leather and minerals like graphite. On the palate the same impressions; beautiful and ripe dark berries, mainly cassis, a lot of good and fresh acidity, leather, minerals, brushwood and some earth. Overall a full bodied, beautiful, powerful and youthful wine which can probably last for several decades. 96 - 97
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2/12/2017 - jkvedar wrote: 90 Points
refined and elegant. can't tell if it is in a dumb phase or it is losing it's fruit. ever so slightly out of balance. it was enjoyable with braised beef and root vegetables, but not a knock out as i might have expected for the price paid.
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2/11/2017 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 96 Points
Opaque purple turning ruby violet at the rim with a transparent edge. The nose is so attractive and expressive with aromas of new leather, smoke, freshly-opened can of tennis balls and dried meat on black fruits. The palate is full-bodied with a fleshy texture that's tightly-wound and highly-pitched with vibrant acidity. The mid palate thins out ever so elegantly. Flavors of black currant, graphite, game, dark chocolate, pain grille and dried herbs form its core. Finishes long and dusty with a tannic grip. This is still very youthful at twelve years. Decant for at least two hours or drink from 2020 to 2035.
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2/6/2017 - Euge67 Likes this wine: 91 Points
C'è sicuramente una cosa vera su questo vino: ha bisogno ancora di molto tempo: minimo 5 anni, meglio 10.
Appena aperto, al contrario di cosa capita di solito con i grandi bordeaux, ha regalato profumi e sapori interessanti. Man mano però si è spento o (se vogliamo dirla meglio) chiuso. Il secondo giorno è rimasto solo l'alcool a parlare. Sono perplesso.
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2/1/2017 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points
My third vintage of this wine (2002, 2005, 2012), and this chateau seems to be going through a fast evolution. While the 2012 had lots of berries, was quite pure and too modern for me, this still shows signs of tradition and has nice, dark fruit.
Needs a week of slowox.
From a small bottle.
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1/27/2017 - psi wrote: 96 Points
A pleasure to share this with my father! Pop and pour. This worked well for us. Very classic notes with dark cherries, cedar, cassis, flowers, spices and minerals. So silky in the mouth, complex and perfect balance. Of course there are tannins... and they will last for years to come, but they are smooth and well integrated due to the concentration of the wine. But thanks to an impeccable balance, this is not heavy but rather plays on its elegance.
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1/22/2017 - valedeniro wrote: 95 Points
Another excellent showing for this gorgeous wine.Very similar to my previous note.Very complex nose with dark cherries,cassis,flowers,minerals, spices.Silky smooth mouthfeel,multilayered,sappy,with great balance and excellent length.Really like this hedonistic and complete wine.Outstanding ! (95+)
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1/13/2017 - phol wrote: 94 Points
Still young with no secondary toons but opens up after 4 hours in the decanter, this is a very nice Pontet.
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1/10/2017 - Hazeo wrote: 92 Points
Very tight still, and felt like a slight waste opening it at this point. After a couple of hours of air though the nose became a lot more expressive and a little less wound up. Dense and concentrated palette of blackberries, mocha, hints of spice. While impressively concentrated and lovely fruit in general, I'm not getting much pencil lead, graphite, funky earthiness that I love in Pauillacs (again, in comparison to the '04) and at this point seems a bit too straight forwardly fruit-driven, but I hope that changes as it would make it truly excellent.
In the end I feel that this has only evolved slightly in the last 5 years, check back in another 5-10 years.
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1/1/2017 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine:
Much more muted than the bottle I drank 16 months ago. Must be closed / closing down. Strong structure remains, and I am sure that this will again be a stunner when it reopens for business.
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12/24/2016 - SonnyChiba wrote:
Decanted 3 hours. Delicious wine but still on the young side. Moving along slowly.
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12/8/2016 - valedeniro wrote: 95 Points
Cellared since released,perfect cork and fill.Colour:Deep garnet,just beginning to soften at the rim.A phenomenal Bordeaux in every aspect.Fantastic pure scents of dark cherries and cassis,violets and asian spices.On the palate the wine is very well balanced,with very smooth and velvety tannins,juicy acidity,great depth and excellent length.Drinking very well now with a long life ahead.A beauty ! (95+)
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12/4/2016 - mikerando Likes this wine:
may not be ready,
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11/4/2016 - Tony T Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for about two hours. Still quite youthful although the tannins are getting softer. Excellent aroma typical for the best Bordeaux wines. Full-bodied wine with nice fruit and excellent balance. No hurry with this beauty!
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11/2/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drunk at a group tasting dinner. Opaque dark garnet, some would say purple/ black. Powerful nose that leads with graphite, some smoke and tons of minty black fruit. Still pretty tannic with a vibrant acid backbone. On the palate the black currant and black plum are predominant with what I'll call eucalyptus though that might not be quite right. Big, powerful but well balanced this wine has at least a good 15-20 years left in it.
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9/29/2016 - kenv Likes this wine: 93 Points
WCC Blind Tasting of Red Bordeaux 2000-2009 (Home of Chef Andy Plummer, East Greenbush, NY): Big, smoky black fruit nose. Harmonious and drinking pretty well tonight. Tied for Group #2 WOTN.
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9/25/2016 - bonedoc wrote: 94 Points
This will get better w time, but very good now w decant. Excellent structure.
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9/3/2016 - ledocq wrote:
Genuinely thought it was corked upon opening. Three hours to coax anything out of the nose. Two hours after that, it was drinking well, if simply for what I know of PC. I was wondering if it's flawed, but I don't think so -- it's possible it's going through a dumb phase right now.
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7/26/2016 - ovenmitt wrote: 91 Points
While this was absolutely delicious, it seems this bottle was in somewhat of an awkward place. Lacking the fruit that makes it a happy dance, but also not having developed much in the tertiary that makes it mysterious.... Hold the rest for another few years.
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7/12/2016 - RayOB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank at 67
The nose the nose the nose. It is so rich and complex with chocolate, dark fruit and hints of toffee. Wonderful palate and length. This is definitely drinking.
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6/24/2016 - om42 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Paired with tenderloin bistecca and carbonara at Il Terrazo in Victoria. Simply great. Fruit nose is predominant upon opening. Black cherries along with black liquorice and pipe tobacco backbone. Great complexity on the palate. Acid, tannins and fruit in perfect balance. This is drinking very well and I wish I was smart enough to buy some when it was released.
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6/14/2016 - sterin wrote:
Too young. I will wait 10 years before opening another bottle.
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6/7/2016 - jsjoe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep dark Crimson to the light, autumn bouquet of mums, currant and forest on the nose. Medium thick blend of blackberry, raisin, dark plum, and dark chocolate, all swirling in a pleasant note to the mid palate. Finish is gentle, smooth, and velvety but there is a delayed acidity and wet stone tint which takes away from perfect finish. But a lovely wine to accompany a filet mignon which was the occasion tonight.
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5/23/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
Dinner hosted by MTWG (Mark the Wine Guy) with special guest Noe Tesseron (Vic's Restaurant - New York City): As part of a big evening that included Pontet-Canet from 78, 00, 04 vintages. It was great to have Noe Tesseron, son of the famous proprietor, join us for dinner.
Borrowing from my prior notes: "Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window. Tannins still a little grippy, so it shows that it has long aging potential from here"
This was more fruit driven than the other vintages tasted this evening, WOTN for some of the group (my #2 behind the 2000). Elegant but still very youthful, will drink at a high level for some time
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5/7/2016 - LeechDogg Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Tasted blind. Smelled closed, muted some AO on the finish? Rich finish.
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4/26/2016 - ddavoust Likes this wine: 94 Points
Smooth from opening to finish. Very nice legt bank Bordeaux. Good structure but no bitterness
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4/26/2016 - kbcadeponei wrote: 95 Points
Intense, masculine, instigating and vibrating. Powerful nose of raspberries, sweet cherry pie, vanilla, along with a chemical air reminding of resin. Complex, varying from licorice to minerals. Fierce presence on palate, opulent and acidic, with vibrating tanins, delivering us a mind blowing combo of blackberry, cherry, bitter chocolate, salinity and all sorts of spices, leading to an upstanding, almost frightening, finish. Though it's 11 years old now, feels so young and vivid it sure makes us wonder where is it heading to. For now an easy 95. 95-97
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4/17/2016 - WStucker wrote: 94 Points
Hold on to these. From a 375, after a night in the glass, it finally started to open up. Wait on these for another 5 years before popping one.
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4/10/2016 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Bigger and bolder, which is standard for the vintage. But this is starting to shed that baby fat and is probably juuuuust entering a dumb phase. I would recommend waiting at least 5, probably 10 and more like 20+ years before opening another bottle (depending on how many bottles you have). This has terrific structure and you can sense the fruit underneath - plum, pencil shavings and darker fruit. For what this was 5 years ago though, it is starting to move to the austere side of the ledger. Hard to see this emerging from that phase for several years.
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4/2/2016 - skifree wrote: 92 Points
Took to share at party in WW. Liked it a lot that night, but last glass at home on Monday seemed very 2005 to me, lots of furry tannins on the finish. This is still very young.
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3/21/2016 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Weekly tasting group #207; Spain: Rioja vs Ribera del Duero plus one great pirate! (@ RW): In the bouquet sweet and ripe blackberries and blueberries, chamomile, smoke and coffee. On the palate dark and red forest fruits, sweet licorice, beautiful acidity and round tannin with still a soft but good bite. Beautiful wine already, but it is not showing yet the complexity and finesse which it holds in store. Wait until 2022 at least! 93+ for this evening.
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2/26/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened this right when we got to the restaurant and didn't touch it until about 2 hours later and still the fact that we were 'baby-killing' was pretty obvious. The wine has lots of great promise and I found myself continuously coming back to it (drank next to a '96 Ducru and a '94 La Mouline), but it's nowhere near peak yet. Maybe my second favorite of the night more from promise. This is going to be a great wine.
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2/23/2016 - RyanWu wrote: 91 Points
Still too young. Decanted for 9 hours. The wine started to become more approachable. The nose is very focus and concentrated blue fruits rounded with a bit of creamy vanilla. On the palate, it is so elegant and balanced. This is a huge mistake for me to open it now. The lesson learned is that patience is definitely required for seeing the full power of Pontet-Canet. However, although it is still too early to drink, the wine really lacks excitement factor. In this epic vintage, you really want more from this highly recommended winery. (At prime, probably can reach 93)
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2/16/2016 - jonanator wrote:
Still a baby right now. Showed hints of its potential but best to let this sleep for a while. This is a lovely wine though, and I am sure it will be magical with time.
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1/27/2016 - Andre Brattland wrote: 96 Points
Had it together with Pavie Macquin `05 and Casanova di neri tenuta nuvona `10 with a Elk Dinner. The Bordeaux was in a another League. Both the Pontet Canet and the Pavie Maquin was really tight, altough the the Pontet Canet was surprisingly more open after Approc Three hours in the decanter.
Really Clear Pauillac aromas and taste. This wine give you a Clear assumption to the greater area in Western Bordeaux.
Full bodied with a really long taste of darker berries, liquorice, and violet. I loved it, but the Pavie Mac`was a marginal the leading horse this night. 95-96p. Would develop nicely the next decades.
Full bodied wine with aromas who jump out of the glas. A Really long taste of Earth, Blackberry and Liquorice.
This wine would develop for decades. I bought two more bottles - this wine is a Winner!
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1/3/2016 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic wine with lots of life left. Color is deep , opaque, and with red edges. Nose is a bit shy with smoke, black pepper, spice, plum, black fruit, and just a bit of eucalyptus. Palate is rustic and has a graphite texture that is both powerful and a bit rustic. This wine is still not showing much development and needs another ten years or a lot more. As it is, it's working very well with a spicy cassoulet. Love this wine.
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12/26/2015 - MarkMich wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 8 hours for Christmas dinner. It needed all of it. I would hold off for another 5 years unless you have a case. I do think this will evolve into a special wine and am looking forward watching it evolve.
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12/25/2015 - rickspicks Likes this wine: 91 Points
Definitely not ready yet. Never really opened during the 3 hours we consumed it. Not much nose or finish - just too tight. Ripe, dark berry fruits with oak, spice & earth. Medium body with good concentration and still very primary flavors. Not much depth or complexity yet, but will likely be really terrific in 5+ years.
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12/12/2015 - norsktorsk wrote: 90 Points
for the first time I can say that I actually enjoyed a bordeaux.
a split and quite nice.
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12/6/2015 - Roentgen Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Young and vibrant with loads of cassis and structure. Just beginning to to show a little integration. I only tasted because I have 14 more, and plan to keep most under cork for decades to come.
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11/27/2015 - -E- wrote: 94 Points
Klar, dyp, mørk rød. Mørk, forførende nese med bjørne- og solbær, blyantspiss, cedar og hint av kaffe.
Mørk, konsentrert, tørr, strukturert frukt med nydelig dybde og subtil sødme. Frisk, spisset syre. Milde, fokuserte tanniner med et lett bitt. Tørr utgang med flott lengde.
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11/25/2015 - wren460 wrote: 90 Points
Sorry, new world wines deliver much more bang for the buck than this over valued French wines. It was tasted blind and a Nicolas Catena Zapata beat the crap out of the Pontet. Nice wine, but for $125 I can definitely think of much more delicious options, specially new world beauties.
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11/19/2015 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOTN at our recent event. Dark, powerful with amazing perfume on the nose. A pleasure to drink.
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11/7/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 96 Points
Vertical tasting of Pontet Canet 2003-2012. Hardly any sign of evolution in terms of colour - still very dark. Lots of pure black fruit on the nose, showing more depth than the two previous vintages. A hint of cough drops. Some oak is still evident. On the palate very powerful, firm structure, but the tannins are round and ripe. The balance is impressive. Super long. Too young still, but approachable. 95-96+
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11/1/2015 - Grinner wrote: 94 Points
19th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective (Chez Lyon in Eugene, OR): WOTFlight, this was BIG, dark, and deep with stone notes vying with the cassis, blackberry, earth, and cedar. Tannic and long. Wait, decant (we did 17 hours), and wait some more. Next in 2-3 years. 93 on day 2.
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10/22/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 95 Points
New York Wine Experience - lots of tastings...shorter notes...: At NYWE experience, nicely aged version of a BdX favorite of mine
Dark purple/black color, no sign of age yet at 10 years old...Nose of black fruits, anise, earth, wet stones. Full bodied wine, blackberry, currant, kirsch, smoke, baking spice. Balanced and ripe, wine is getting close to prime drinking window. Tannins still a little grippy, so it shows that it has long aging potential from here
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10/22/2015 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 96 Points
2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): Now ten years old, this wine still has a saturated, opaque crimson/ruby color. Ripe black currant, blackberry, kirsch and crushed rock aromas are followed by a full-bodied palate, with similar black fruit flavors which are flanked by smoke, graphite and allspice. Fresh, seamlessly alcoholic and gushing with sweet tannins, it builds in the middle and closes with a lengthy, albeit tannic finish. This gorgeous wine is nowhere near plateau. Patience will be rewarded here! Drink 2020-2050.
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10/6/2015 - cbuhlman wrote:
deep dark garnet and somewhat viscous. packed with grippy ripe fruit and still very primary.
At this point the wine is clearly not ready to drink.
As the pros say, this wine needs to sleep a long time.
reserve judgement.
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9/25/2015 - jmcmchi wrote: 93 Points
Nose beautifully rich and sensuous
Smooth tannins spreading dustily through mouth
Dark berries, long, slight mineral influence
Still a few years from its peak
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9/2/2015 - Gnocchi Likes this wine: 95 Points
A neighbor of the famous Mouton-Rothschild this an exceptional wine by an exceptional producer in an exceptional terroir in an exceptional year!
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8/25/2015 - alion wrote:
Bought retail in 2008 and stored in natural cellar. Even with 3 hours air and for someone who likes wines young, this is not ready. Great, complex nose - powerful blackcurrant with more redcurrant over time, some liquorice, exotic spice. Fleshy palate. Bitter. Disjointed. Tannin dominates. Darker than the nose. Needs food. Great wine here but give it at least 5 years.
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8/22/2015 - drdan8 wrote: 93 Points
Allowed to aerate in medium bowl decanter for 1 hour at room temp. Absolutely stunning nose of crushed vanilla pod, red licorice, candied raspberry, and pencil shavings. Consumed from a GabrielGlas universal stem. Not quite as exciting on the palate as the bouquet would suggest. Slight dark fruit but muted in intensity. Picking up some bramble, leather, and dark cherry. Tannin is still not fully integrated on the medium finish. Quite smooth and refined although it doesn't quite deliver that special feeling. Easily has 5-10 years ahead to improve on its pedigree.
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8/21/2015 - SonnyChiba wrote: 96 Points
Best showing of this yet. Absolutely killer bottle of wine. Perfect nose of red licorice and blackberries surrounded by so much more. Great balance, excellent texture to it, long lingering finish that completely coats the mouth. This is terrific and needs 10 years at least but worth popping now if you have a few as it will not disappoint.
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8/21/2015 - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mind blowing. Really hitting now, but will hold for many years to come. Went well with the steaks.
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7/26/2015 - SteveN100 wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic fruity nose. Had a bit of a high alcohol taste to it, but not enough to interfere with the other flavors in the glass. Tannins need a bit more time.
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7/21/2015 - kgh wrote: 91 Points
Dark color and leathery aroma upon pouring. Very nice structure and depth of fruit, with blackberry, cassis, and mineral notes. Tannins still prominent, but should soften and improve with more cellar time.
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6/28/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Full bodied and intense, this mouth filling, luscious treat is packed with layer after layer of rich, dark, dense, perfectly ripe fruits, soft, refined tannins and the stuffing and structure to age and evolve for decades. You can drink it now, but I’m waiting another 5 years before I start popping corks.
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5/26/2015 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
SLDS May 2015: Plum and cherry along with a backing of cedar. Good minerality on the palate keeps the plush fruit fresh. Still feels bold overall, this should be cracking given enough time.
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4/13/2015 - bajayngo wrote:
Quick note from a friends 50th bday party. Such old world structure for days. Rustic frame with dust, saddle leather, spice fruit, ceder box and earth.
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3/30/2015 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 95 Points
2005 Bordeaux Retrospective (Morrell Wine, 1 Rockefeller Plaza): The nose was dark and rich, showing intense red berry, minerals, soil, herbs, cedar and tobacco. Still incredibly youthful on the palate with firm textures moving in dense waves across the senses, giving only a brief glimpse of this wine’s massive dark red fruits, spice, herbal tea tones, minerals and soil. The Ponet Canet’s structure remained in control throughout the finish, yet there’s so much balance and intensity here, hence its potential.
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3/22/2015 - AWBryce Likes this wine:
Nose was a bit muted, only showing a hint of red fruits and some oak. Others said it was much better on opening, but with a decant this was underwhelming. Chalky tannins, medium red fruits on the palate.
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3/9/2015 - Doni.Bertolami wrote: 93 Points
2005 Bordeaux Tasting: Much riper than the grand puy lacoste and pichon baron that were tasted in parallel. Nose is almost overpowering. Fresher on the palate than you'd expect after the nose. Kicks in quite hefty but them somehow looses the grip in the mid-palate and seem a little hollow. Does not come close to what the pichon has to offer. 98 points seem high and I don't expect a higher rating when Mr. Parker revisits this in April 2015.
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2/7/2015 - JJA Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was surprisingly backward and reserved. This needs a fair amount of time to breath. Decanting was helpful but what this relatively young wine really needs is time sitting in the glass.
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1/25/2015 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
Blackberry, licorice, and crushed rock on the nose. Flavors of currant and spice on the palate. Silky, sexy, sweet. Pauillac at its best. Decanted, but didn't need to. Drinking surprisingly well now.
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1/6/2015 - farinas wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful color that only Bordeaux seems to achieve. Reticent nose can get some wood spices and occasional a whif of pure fruit. The bottle could be damaged. Palate has heavy set fruit, espresso, dried currants with sticky tannins to last for a long time. Finishes medium with sweet fruit new oak and tannins.
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12/31/2014 - absolut Likes this wine: 92 Points
5 Jahre zu früh! Finger weg vom Alkohol ;)
Nach 5-6 Stunden im Dekanter kam ordentlich Frucht durch, hielt sich aber nicht allzu lange. Eindeutige Fruchtvergeudung in diesem Stadium... aber natürlich jammern auf hohem Niveau
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12/31/2014 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 92 Points
Dark, purple appearance. Pronounced cassis and vanilla nose. Some sweet spice and cool, blueberry note. A little roasted vegetable. Still very primary. Luscious fruit up front, very silky, with a slight hole in the mid-palate but long finish. Improved considerably on the 2nd day but needs another 5-10 years.
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12/6/2014 - cab blends wrote: 89 Points
S&E Bordeaux Blend Style Wine Tasting - Blind Tasting (Our home): Classic Tobacco and a dry finish. Good strong tannins 7/10. The scoresheet causes a lower rating that I would do manually - probably 91 for me
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12/3/2014 - Indran Rajendra wrote: 93 Points
This wine gives up typical pencil shavings blackcurrant black cherries olives spice incense cigar box and eucalyptus notes. It is full bodied and elegant. It is still young and Parker suggests 2017-2040. First pour Coravin. Decantered 1 -1.5 hours. Drunk at 16 degrees C. NS
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10/31/2014 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
HDH Bordeaux Auction; 10/31/2014-11/1/2014 (Chicago, IL): From magnum. There's a distinctly Californian feel to this wine, with its jammy dark fruit and slight tinge of sweetness on the palate. There's also a brick wall of tannin, of course, and this is obviously a real baby at this point. Drinking this now feels like punching yourself in the head. Despite the piles of fruit and apart from the tannins, this wine does appear to have some structure, which I hope will be in better display once the overt ripe fruit elements are shed. Not bad, especially for a wine that's such a darling of Parker's.
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10/26/2014 - Lobonick Likes this wine: 92 Points
Possibly a bit shut down...not as expressive as I expected... but still fabulous. Glad that I have five more... and patience!
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10/26/2014 - Purple Tooth wrote: 94 Points
Dense, thick, double woven, this is a spicy beast PACKED with gobs and gobs of ripe to the last drop fruit on the verge of spoilage (in a good way). Too much going on to pick through and try and describe. In closing I will say, this seems much more like a giant St. Emillion, full of merlot.
This is bold, MUSCULAR, and may be on steroids. Lots of structure to support a long, long, long life. JUST entering APPROACHABILITY, but don't touch it for another 7 years...Ohhhhmmmmmmmm
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10/25/2014 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
K&L's Grand Bordeaux Tasting (K&L Wine Merchants, Redwood City, California): Excellent nose, but lots of heat (B++). Medium density on the palate (B+/B++).
I think this needs at least another 5 years....
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10/22/2014 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Felt more open than last bottle, but still a long way to go. Hold hold hold.
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10/19/2014 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 3+ hours. Still very young.
A bit too much acidity for me. This wine has a lot of potential.
I'm sure it will be even better in 5-10 years.
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10/13/2014 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted about 2 hours.
Medium to heavy weight. Red licorice, cherry, nice soft cherry nose. Quite dark red color. Great cherry flavors, nice juiciness on the mouthfeel. Acid and tannins strong. A bit of tobacco flavors. Nice light gaminess flavors. A bit of blueberry on the nose. A bit of dust and strawberry flavors. Quite sophisticated flavors, but super young. I am looking forward to trying this wine in 10 years. This should become something really special.
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10/5/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
The first of the great vintages for Alfred Tesseron at Pontet Canet is starting to show its stuff. Great concentration, soft, refined tannins, a long finish with soft, sweet, lush fruits. As good as this is now, and it is good, it's only going to get better with more time in the bottle...
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6/20/2014 - robertek wrote: 91 Points
Not offering up much on the nose and the powerful fruit this wine used to have in its young days is now gone. No secondary notas as of yet and its not come together. i Believe this wine is in a bad Place right now and still have hopes for it to come along and be the wine I thought it would be.
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6/7/2014 - pavel_p wrote: flawed
Dinner at C's (Singapore): Second flight. This seemed slightly flawed as I was getting some cardboard on the palate here. Compared to the 09, this obviously does not have the lush fruit (anymore) but the medium tannins have a long way to soften. Wait at least 3-4 years. NR
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5/28/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Pontet Canet vertical 2000-2010: Dark purple. Reserved nose of earth, cedar wood, some black fruit and pine tree. On the palate medium bodied with a slightly acidic touch and pronounced tannins, a bit drying. Not dissimilar to the 2000. Aroma wise quite linear and restraint, definitely Needs another 5 years here. How will this turn out? Let's see. My guess is good but not outstanding. 92-94
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5/24/2014 - neng wrote: 94 Points
Closed. Not ready yet. Have to wait for another decade.
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3/15/2014 - aegerter Likes this wine: 95 Points
I opened this with some trepidation, given that the 2005 haven't been drinking well for me until recently and I wanted to give it a shot. Unquestionably a great wine! Somewhat surprisingly, to me it already drinks well, if given some time to decant. Pontet Canet is a fantastic Chateau and the 2005 is actually a great value given the recent price increases due to the back to back 100 point ratings of the 2009 and 2010.
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3/9/2014 - HowardNZ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pontet-Canet Vertical: Colour very deep red/black. Bouquet very closed and limited, some black berry fruits, liquorice, anise and flint. On palate, immediately, very, very primary, and shut down. Only fractionally less shut down than the 2010. Huge structure, fruit weight and concentration but, to me, all in proportion. Very precise. Suave, very fine grained and firm tannins. Vibrant flavours of pure cassis and cherry liqueur with cinnamon and lead pencil. Classic Pauillac. Very intense on the back palate. A fellow taster described this wine as massively structured and out to lunch. I agree with the first part and am assessing it largely on potential but think this a great cellar wine, that has all of the ingredients in place for the future. My WOTN. Don't look at this for 10 years though, preferably 20.
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3/8/2014 - hkm520240 wrote: 95 Points
Chateau Pontet Canet Vertical Tasting Wine Dinner with Melanie Tesseron (Nicolas Le Restaurant): Deep red core, powerful and very concentrated nose, lots of dark fruits and wonderful rich cassis, still very primary and fresh. Just showing a light hints of tobacco and floral notes. Vanillin oak is integrating well too.
Soft and elegant on entry, with blackcurrant and black licorice. More development on palate than the nose and getting ready. Polished mouth-feel with lively acidity and spicy aftertaste. It has a very good grip on the long lovely finish. One of my favourite wine for tonight.
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3/2/2014 - wineotim Likes this wine: 95 Points
Impeccable balance and structure, polished tannins, intense and focused purity…a memorable, monumental wine.
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3/1/2014 - Norm52 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Need decanting or at very least popping the cork for a few hours.
a classic Pauillac with crush stone, lead pencil, vanilla and load of berries and black fruits.
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2/14/2014 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for three hours, utilizing a funnel. The amounts of crushed blueberry, anise and tobacco leaf are apodictic, and then follows crushed rock, lotus extract, white pepper and mulberry. Very polished; very chiseled in every form of the word ... then the long and sleek finish really captures every vinous impulse. She has undoubedtly improved in the five years since we last met, however, do not be afraid to lay her to slumber for many, many years. Drink 2016 -.
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2/4/2014 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Incredibly young and shut down, even after being open for several hours before drinking. Wasn't giving up a whole lot but shows some good promise with a deeply concentrated nose that was nicely balanced with good acidity. Would not touch another bottle for 5 years. Will be great in 10.
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1/5/2014 - Decanting fool Likes this wine: 95 Points
Hypnotic flinty terroir seamlessly mingles with deep purple fruits and bright floral top notes. Firing on all cylinders this is a lovely and delicious wine just beginning to come into its own.
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12/24/2013 - Indran Rajendra Likes this wine: 91 Points
This wine needs at least 75 minutes in the decanter to open up. When it does it offers blackcurrant,tomato vine,pencil shavings and cigar box. In the background is manure and earth. Lots of tannin. It has a classical feel. Elegant and balanced you can't stop drinking. NS
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12/23/2013 - Gene_Mo wrote: 94 Points
Popped the cork about 4 hrs before, no decant. Paired with nice Filet steaks. Exquisite and elegant with a great smooth finish. We drank along side a Cayuse "God Only Knows" grenache which also was very nice. Cayuse was all barnyard but good.
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12/17/2013 - jeffm_fla Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good. Second favorite at our "high end" tasting.
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10/15/2013 - Robert Pavlovich Likes this wine:
Well perfumed cassis, plum, and tobacco on the nose. Big tart cherry impressions finished with oak and medium+ acidity. Robust mouth coating tannins, but approachable. Classy wine, with a good future ahead.
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9/23/2013 - Fran's Wines wrote: 99 Points
Verticale Pontet Canet le 19.10.2013 @ Genève en présence de M. Tesseron, propriétaire du Château.
Le 2005 est un millésime magique. Pontet Canet nous présente là un vin très fin avec une très belle longueur en bouche. Journées chaudes et nuits fraiches ont permis à la vigne de rendre un très bel équilibre. Ce vin présente une belle acidité, ce qui lui permettra de tenir dans le temps. Il est déjà somptueusement agréable mais il serait dommage de l'ouvrir maitenant étant donné le potentiel mirobolant qu'il a encore devant lui. Bravo.
PS: suis ravi de commencer ma collection Pontet Canet avec ce millésime... d'autres suivront, c'est sûr!
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9/22/2013 - jmcmchi wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 3 hours before meal. Mid -ruby in glass with nose of cedar, red plums and smoke with almonds coming up sides of glass
On palate, neat structure that is not nearly as overwhelming as some of early professional notes indicated. Layers of fruit, tannins that linger but are much more integrated than many Pauilllacs. A structured, balanced blend where ripe fruit is evident but not up front.
What bordeaux ought to be
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9/10/2013 - Average Wine Guy (MH) wrote: 93 Points
Pontet Canet Vertical with Melanie Tesseron (Les Amis): Decanted 2.5 hours before pouring.
The 2005 Pontet-Canet is medium purple in colour with an expressive, youthful nose of liquorice, roasted coffee, ripe plums and slight chocolates. A calm entry on the palate of primary fruit flavours slowly reaching a mid-palate climax of bursting juicy purple berries, blackcurrants with underlying roasted coffee.
Tannins are mouth-coating. A wine with elegant and smooth drive. Well-layered and complex with flavours being very well integrated. Bold tannin structure but beautifully balanced. Great style and depth in the wine displaying youth and an acidity that almost “blends” in the wine, on a prolonged finish.
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9/2/2013 - ŞarapTutkunları wrote: 95 Points
Siyaha yakın tonlar taşıyan bordo renkli bu son derece tipik şarabın ön burnunda yer alan yeni açılmış kalem,casis,kiraz ve hafif ahududu aromaları,arkadan gelen mineral,çikolata,et,grafit ve sonradan çıkan tütün tonları ile uyum içinde .Damakta yumuşak,tam gövdeli, tanen yapısındaki olgunluk belirgin derecede ve diri olan asidi ile dengeli.Tüm bunlar alınan erik ,mineral ve baharat nüansları ile birlikte ciddi bir konsantrasyonu işaret ediyor.Gayet uzun olan bitişinde gösterdiği denge,ancak elegan bir şarapta mümkün olabilir.
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9/2/2013 - Ilker Ozdemir wrote: 95 Points
Siyaha yakın tonlar taşıyan bordo renkli bu son derece tipik şarabın ön burnunda yer alan yeni açılmış kalem,casis,kiraz ve hafif ahududu aromaları,arkadan gelen mineral,çikolata,et,grafit ve sonradan çıkan tütün tonları ile uyum içinde .Damakta yumuşak,tam gövdeli, tanen yapısındaki olgunluk belirgin derecede ve diri olan asidi ile dengeli.Tüm bunlar alınan erik ,mineral ve baharat nüansları ile birlikte ciddi bir konsantrasyonu işaret ediyor.Gayet uzun olan bitişinde gösterdiği denge,ancak elegan bir şarapta mümkün olabilir.
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8/29/2013 - DonDon Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first ever PC and what a delight. The aroma is really fabulous and on tasting it has a wonderful elegance underpinned by a strong backbone. Was interesting to drink this alongside a 2007 Peter Michael Les Pavots (a top Californian Bordeaux blend) and although I actually scored that a little higher, the PC was more classy and was also simply stunning. What a treat to be able to drink those two wines.
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8/3/2013 - DonWinspear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet color. Day 2 notes: Bountiful nose of cassis, oak, red fruit. Palate is similar with additional notes of raspberry, tobacco, cherry. Tannins are still firm indicating many years of cellaring potential. Nice long finish that never bitters. While this wine has the chops to go the distance, it drinks very well following a couple hours of being decanted. Elegant.
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7/25/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
93+ pts....Score dropped a little bit as this didn't hit me as well this time, but could have been that I tasted it by the glass at a wine bar. Either way it is still really great, so unique - sour cherries, currant, a bit medicinal and candy like. Huge sweet and firm tannins, this thing really does need more time, but delicious now as well. Price is still way too high though.
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7/17/2013 - curtr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing depth and potential. I can't wait to see what this becomes in 2025.
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6/12/2013 - Jonnylo wrote:
If you're willing to wait through the , "un-giving stage" as I feel this extraordinary wine is in, the 05' PC, you will be rewarded with the secondary and tertiary aromas & flavors that we know classified Bordelaise wines can deliver. By no means do I preach that you can't drink them now, after all, we are all mortal. But maybe wait a little bit and quaf a a few of these 05's while you wait a bit for the big guys to flesh out.
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5/25/2013 - DonalOB wrote: 93 Points
Quite muted on open - took at least an hour to open up. Plums and cedar on the nose.Nice balance in the mouth, the tannins still a bit grippy but decent acidity for the vintage.
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5/9/2013 - chatters wrote:
United Cellars Grand Bordeaux Tasting 2013 (Royal Automobile Club, Macquarie Street, Sydney): Ruby, medium minus intensity aromas of cedar over blackcurrant, spice and leather. Medium plus acid and tannin, slightly creamy black fruit. A bit disjointed. A bit boring. Meh
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5/1/2013 - patrickt wrote: 98 Points
Taste and smell of smoke, stone, and perfectly ripe ED fruit. Great long finish and smooth tannins.
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4/13/2013 - CGWIND Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious. I decanted, but too briefly. Rich full and enticing nose. Tannins firm but not harsh. Nice earth and fruit - will develop into a beautiful wine - I opened a few years too early. But boy was it enjoyable with a Zachary's pizza
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4/9/2013 - Brmaso Likes this wine: 97 Points
It is almost appalling to read the lesser reviews of this iconic wine. There comes a point where subjectivity becomes just plain wrong...
This is a blockbuster powerhouse that will re-define your definition of tannin. The 05 Pontet is built to last the long haul for sure, and should easily turn out to be a 40+ year wine. Still young and inky, the wine possesses globs of rich fruit - creme de cassis, red currant, blackberry, blueberry and wild cherry - vibrant mineral notes, and everything else that screams Pauillac in a classic wine from a ripe vintage. The balance is impeccable, and the acidity keeps it fresh. All and all, this is a wine for your children..but please pop open a bottle or two before you pass it off to see what great, fresh young bordeaux is supposed to taste like.
Finding an argument in Alfred Tesseron's biodynamic approach to wine making is literally impossible when you taste his modern day legends after taking the realm in '94. In the golden age for bdx (2000-present), he is one of the leaders year in and year out, and this aristocratic 2005 also offers hedonists the opportunity to get lost in the moment.
Do not look for a overblown california fruit bomb here. This is power and finesse to the highest degree. Impeccable in every way. If you do not like the style, you still would not be able to make the argument that this juice is anything but extraordinary.
As a footnote, somebody said something to the effect of 'beware, this wine may not age well' or something like that... what a rookie.
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3/30/2013 - SonnyChiba Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fantastic wine and great representative of the landmark 2005 vintage - and of course still evolving.
Nice deep and darkish purple color - Heavy on the Cabernet side and shows its power. Great finish that reveals a wonderful cherry flavor. Would be great with many food pairings or as I drank it on its own. This will only get much better..Great one to sit on for many years to come.
As much as I liked it, I'd like to note that this wine in particular the price is getting a little out of control..I picked up a couple bottles at Costco several years ago for around $95, but recently saw it going for $195 at Total Wine....Would be hard to justify buying that price even if it is an 05'.
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2/2/2013 - il_diavolo wrote: 93 Points
From 375ml. Quite a bit better than when last tasted 3+ years ago (same size). Dark purple colour. Very classy nose of fruit liqueur. dense and ripe on palate with blackcurrant, some tannins and a long finish which has hints of smoke and graphite. I would guess this still needs 3years+ in the small format and longer for standard bottles.
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1/1/2013 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 91 Points
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COLOR: Deep garnet-purple, almost opaque
NOTE: Second-best PC to date for me. The nose is delightfully rich with boysenberry liqueur, dark cocoa, Saigon cinnamon, nutmeg, cherry pipe tobacco, vanilla bean and just a slight tinge of heat. Mouth is med-heavy weight and has a nice proportion of fruit to structure, where the fruit becomes more fresh juice (boysenberry/blackberry, blueberry) and the structure becomes more mineral-driven than ash/leaf/smoke. This thing tastes like a baby and could go another 10 years easy, but I don't see it improving any. A lot of stuffing to be sure, but the finish is where it disappoints because it becomes a dirty ashtray filled with ripe black fruit juice. At least it lasts a good 30 seconds and almost approaches a hint of opulence.
I still don't understand the outrageous professional scores for wines like this as they don't provide nearly the satisfaction of similarly priced Bordeaux-blends from anywhere else in the world. Maybe it's like what my dad says about Scotch. You have to smoke cigars to kill your palate enough to enjoy some of the grittier ones. I think that may be going on with some of these lead tasters in Bordeaux (esp when you see them contributing to Cigar Afficionado).
DECANT: 2-3 hours
GLASS USED: Bordeaux
TASTE: 9.1
OTHER:
COST: 83
VALUE: 3.0
PREVIOUSLY TASTED: n/a
TRY AGAIN: 2015 - 2025
PAIRING: n/a
Inquiries can be addressed to troypeterson@usa.net
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12/14/2012 - JJA Likes this wine: 94 Points
It's a bit early to drink this 2005 Pontet Canet. All the 2005s seem to be taking a long time to develop, and this wine is no different. It started out a bit thin, but opened up nicely over the course of about an hour. The wine really shined when we started eating. It went very well with the lamb dish at Cafe Basso in Norwalk. While the wine is a bit light bodied, it is smooth, elegant and complex. In an word, it was gorgeous and will clearly improve with some age. My 94 rating doesn't reflect the upside potential in quality here, so I would expect the rating to go up. While I didn't buy this for investment purposes, it has done quite well - up 70% in value since 2006! I will try the next bottle in one year.
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11/20/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Truly a blockbuster wine. This is equal parts concentration and personality in this beauty. The cassis, coffee and chocolate scented perfume get your attention. The mountain of black fruit sliding from the glass over your palate is a treat. There is a lot to like about this wine and while prices have risen, for a wine this good, it's still a bargain.
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9/20/2012 - Roentgen Ray wrote: 95 Points
Inky dark purple color, and a little reticent on the nose, there is a lot of fruit in here, but it is barracaded behind a big stoney tannic wall, even after being open 24 hours, and shakenin the bottle, it didn't budge. Interesting to try, as you might guess, this one is not even close to being ready.
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9/19/2012 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
2000-2009 vertical of Chateau Pontet-Canet, with Alfred Tesseron (Roberson Wine, South Ken, London): The beauty of youth. Red fruit on the nose, quite primary and young interlaced with floral notes . A hint of caramel too. Such a lovely open Nose Vibrant and fresh on the palate, with firm tannins but with no wall of youth full harsh tannin and one could enjoy it even at this stage. Supple , good ripeness, complex and with a long finish. Once again true to form on the balance and elegance that goes with PC wines. Good to drink now for the fruit fwd palate, but this has easily 5yrs to reach its peak and can last for a long long time. 94 now but easily in the high 90s as it evolves.
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9/18/2012 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pontet Canet Dinner (Texture London): This really is still in its youth but the nose really hits you with waves of fruit and caramel. Lovely smooth mouth with integrated tannins. Long length.
Good now and will get better.
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7/27/2012 - ovenmitt wrote: 92 Points
DRank with Pat and Jen in NM....Decanted for about an hour. Bright and overly acidic at first, but rounded into better shape after some additional time. Wet earth, dark fruit on the nose - a bit closed. Dark fruit, cocoa, very fine dusty tannins. Nice balance. Not as happy as last bottle.... Wait on remaining bottles.
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7/14/2012 - jpizquierdo Does not like this wine: 88 Points
will be hard to explain, this wine is like to be a soothsayer ( by the way, i ´m not one of those ). today i think its not even close to be drinkable, at least ten more years, acidity takes it all. you can feel the flavors the wine will have some day, but, for only half a second, after that your tongue begin to twist like when you put lemon on an living snail. ( i now is weird but i will buy more, not wait only 10, but 20 years to really see if the wine experts are right or not )
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7/6/2012 - rwatkin wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine that has everything going for it--fruit ,structure, finish--and it is all in balance. I loved
drinking it though i kept looking for the Pauillac/Bordeaux terroir and found little...perhaps i am nitpicking?
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5/20/2012 - Enjoy_Now_Collect_Later wrote: 82 Points
Tight intrusive tannins leaving acidity in the end stages. High earth and mineral content. I'll let my other bottles sit for 5 more years but I'm not optimistic that this wine will live up to its marks.
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4/28/2012 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
A Ten Year Retrospective of Chateau Pontet Canet with Alfred Tesseron (Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Chicago): Opaque inky color. Blackberry, plum and dark fruit notes; vanilla and clay qualities as well. Full-bodied, medium tannins; flavors of black currants, plum and blueberries; vanilla and mineral tones. Well-balanced, with a long finish.
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4/20/2012 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
VEO tasting - focus on 2005 Claret (Restaurant Bolenius, Amsterdam): Tasted blind. Minerally, elegant, fragrant, superbly structured but very closed right now. Nowhere near as spectacular as three years ago. Revisit in 2017 or thereabouts.
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4/13/2012 - Adam T 12 wrote: 92 Points
Day 1 this was a 91 for me, two hour decant. Opened up day 2 to a 93, more fruit and more expressive nose. Very smooth.
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3/28/2012 - ovenmitt wrote: 95 Points
Pretty much in line with the other reviews.... A gorgeous wine. Perfect balance. Stunning aroma - I could just smell it for hours. Very long complex finish. To think it should get even better!
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3/10/2012 - cambo04 wrote: 96 Points
This was an impressive wine. 100% new french oak barrels but didn't over oak the wine at all. I mean you would have never thought new oak was used. It was silky smooth and extremely complex. The rich black fruit on the front end was gorgeous with power throughout the mid palate as well as finesse. The finish was long and delicious. You could literally sit there and smell this wine and continually spot new things to talk about. YUM.... drink now or hold for a long while!
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12/31/2011 - Hazeo wrote: 93 Points
New year's eve dinner, bottle was opened an hour before drinking over the next couple hours. A dense and massive wine which hints at its potential, but remained somewhat unyielding during the time we gave it. Dark, concentrated black fruit, mocha, toasted oak, spice, with a nose to go along with it.
I can see how its approaching a napa-like quality, but not candied by any means. I did not get a good sense of its Pauillac nature ("graphite"?) compared with the 04 at this stage ... perhaps that'll come with age. There's is no hint of hotness and everything is in balance. Hands off the rest for many years!
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12/30/2011 - Rob MacKay wrote: 95 Points
Awesome wine. Just as good as everyone says it is. Initially could be mistaken for a Napa wine until you dig into the secondary elements of lead pencil and earth hiding behind the rather impressive fruit profile. This should age well and really be an awesome experience in another 5-10 years.
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12/10/2011 - TexasBob wrote: 92 Points
Dark chocolate and raspberry liquer on the nose with black pepper. This is a deep, powerful, muscular wine. Chocolate, plums, gripping tannins, with raspberries and a touch of violets emerging on the finish. Somewhat flabby texture. Very smooth. Drunk with Stash in Houston.
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12/5/2011 - WinoRick wrote: 95 Points
A group tasting and this and the '82 Pesquera Riserva were the wines of the night to me. At each end of the spectrum. This youthful wine had everything except the soft edges of maturity. Lots of swilling in the glass helped.
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11/18/2011 - ckinv368 wrote: 89 Points
CT Texas Offline III; 11/18/2011-11/19/2011 (Galveston): Much lighter than I thought it would be. Still dark stone fruits, with hints of peach pit. But more refined than the 2004 for some reason. Still lots of bitter astringency that needs years and years to settle out to a silky smoothness. No idea what this wine will turn in to. But imagine it will be pretty wonderful in 20 years.
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11/18/2011 - GalvezGuy wrote:
CT Texas III; 11/18/2011-11/21/2011 (Galveston, TX): Poured through vinturi and allowed to decant for one hour. This is definitely shut down hard. Not giving up much on the nose or palate, Everything is walled off by tannins at this point. I believe this will be a great wine someday, but today, I can't even score it.
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11/12/2011 - ews3 wrote: 92 Points
"Does price matter?" Blind Tasting (Roberts House, Philadelphia PA): tasted blind in flight of 3 LB bordeaux. black pepper, smoke, dark berry fruit. nice tannic profile. this was tough to taste blind at the moment -- there are signs of the wine's quality, but i preferred the cantenac brown. misidentified as the mid-range.
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11/12/2011 - jrobs7777 wrote: 94 Points
Blind Price Test (Our House (2033 Brandywine)): With time, this is going to prove to be an absolutely stunning bottle of wine. Still a bit austere on this night. It took some time to open up. Darker fruit slowly emerged. Framed by fine tannins. Cocoa powder, dark berries and cigar box nose and palate. I was surprised because this was not a jammy fruit bomb as some have come to say about Pontet-Canet. There was good acidity to this and a touch of mineral cutting through the fruit. All in all, it was well balanced. The next bottle should not see the light of day for at least 3 years, probably longer.
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9/8/2011 - dkoontz wrote: 97 Points
Violet color. Interesting nose of barnyard, cedar, menthol and developing dark fruit. Palate showed red cherry and ripe blueberry with pleasant acidity accented by mineral and spice box components. Long finish. The journey from nose to finish was perfectly orchestrated. A wow wine worthy of an unapologetic 97 rating.
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9/8/2011 - patrickt wrote: 97 Points
Well done full bodied, tannin, acidity, and extraordinary finish. Dark fruit, mineral, cedar, and barnyard.
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7/23/2011 - S. Lorin wrote:
dont know why i keep testing these bottles - they are totally shut down (drank over 2 days). not sure how others are able to rate them. caution by the big scores on CT.
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7/5/2011 - bmagic wrote:
N - Ribena on acid!. P - Soft red fruits, good texture. Forest floor. GREEN; too green. Shut down today; on this showing, I would not buy.
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6/11/2011 - etherscreen wrote:
no formal note, but after a few hours this is a profound wine with an incredible richness and surprising accessibility. i can't wait to see this in 20 years time.
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5/27/2011 - geppetto wrote: 97 Points
Absolutely amazing. Decanted for a couple of hours and it didn't change much from my initial taste when I first opened the bottle. The nose was a little more powerful with the air time. Earthy nosed mixed in with some dark fruit. Really dark in colour. Brilliant fruit on the palate with a really loooooong finish. Only got a small taste, but truly memorable. I think this has at least a decade of cellar time. Enjoy!
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5/27/2011 - Khamen wrote: 97 Points
One of the stand-out wines from the whole week for me. Absolutely tremendous truffled dark fruit nose. Fresh and clean fruit, pinpoint balance, rich and concentrated with dazzling finnesse. Very long. If you missed it (as I did) then go get some!
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5/23/2011 - MattTM wrote:
CellarTracker Bordeaux Trip; 5/23/2011-5/26/2011 (Bordeaux, France): The nose really stole the show here, truly wonderful. Captivating floral aromas upfront, along with prune, dark dried fruits, earth, currant, then giving way to fresh red and black berries. Gorgeous depth on the nose. Palate was a bit tight and not giving too much, especially compared to how open the nose was, although this was to be expected considering how young this is. More violet on the palate, along with black cherry, blackberry, a touch of blueberry, and some tart red plum. Plenty of silky tannins, lots of acidity, yet not overwhelming, and extremely dry. Long finish, with notes on blackberry at the end. Fantastic.
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5/23/2011 - grafstrb wrote: 96 Points
CT Bordeaux Trip 2011 - Day 1 (France, Bordeaux, Pauillac): -- popped and poured --
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over 5 – 10 minutes --
-- 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot --
NOSE: expressive; plum; cinnamon; hint of black raspberry on the finish; a completely beguiling and intoxicating Nose. Stunning.
TASTE: intense palate of purple berries shows incredible balance: nice acidity, ample tannins, and the 13% alc. is not noticeable. Finish was long, but not very intense as this wine is still wound quite tightly. Really a gorgeous wine. This was one of my favorite wines of the entire trip. My score may be a tidge conservative.
B: 50, 5, 14, 18, 9 = 96
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5/23/2011 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
CT Bordeaux Trip, Day 1 (Pauillac, Bordeaux, France): Brilliant - this tasting confirmed my impression of the wine at UGC two years ago. What an incredible nose. Earth, loam, truffly mushrooms, plums, cassis, flowers, a little layer of oak, sweet spices - deep reservoirs of wonderful aromas, so much going on. The palate was absolutely beautiful too. There was pure, pure fruit - tons of fresh wild berries, dark cherries, cassis, with a bit of bramble, some truffle hints. Lovely stuff. There was lots of power here, but it was always the amazing elegance and integration on the wine that stood out. There was lots of finesse from the attack to the long, satiny finish, where fine tannins coated the mouth slightly. Still a very young wine, but this is bursting with potential. Really top-notch.
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5/22/2011 - itsnotbob wrote: 95 Points
Still very young; will only get better!
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5/15/2011 - Haltermr wrote: 90 Points
Mellow nose of funk, earth, morrel cherries, plums, and graphite. Soft on entry over midpalate, though tannins were still a bit coarse. Very nice, but lacked charm and/or charisma.
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3/24/2011 - METRIK wrote: 93 Points
Long Decant..... Awesome nose. Nice balance from front to back with medium finish. Great Stuff.
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3/13/2011 - jorge48 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted several hours. Some grape must and smoke on the nose, in an otherwise fairly subdued bouquet. Tight, dry and austere, not revealing much at this point. Mouth, dominated by tannins and wood. As RP says, an "Arnold Schwarzeneggar-like structure". Others noticed pepper, notes of toast and cherry. Clearly, still in its infancy. Enough acid and tannin to last decades.
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2/15/2011 - mmh wrote:
Very dark colour. Great nose! Elegant with perfume and the purest red fruit. Tannic, tight and acidic on the palate. Despite this, it's very good, complex and elegant wit great fruit. Way too young, so I can't really rate it, but I suppose around 90 would be about right at the moment. Potential for much more, though.
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12/23/2010 - docvino wrote: 95 Points
Popped and decanted for 90 minutes out of a 375 ml. As before, classic Bordeaux nose. Less tannic than expected. Well structured and full bodied as before. Should be great for many years.
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12/11/2010 - kliu112 wrote: 94 Points
Layers of fruit with notes of tar and mineral. Long finish and very well balanced. Will get better with age.
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12/8/2010 - ubercuvee wrote: 92 Points
Wow. Massive intensity of fruit (a little blacker than the cassis seen En Primeur) and the elevage was big: lots of oak here and a distinct pencil undertone. This is very, very big and needs a long time to settle down. Almost undrinkable now, but what potential in 15-20 years time. DO NOT TOUCH before 2018!! 92++++/100
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7/29/2010 - St Paul wrote: 92 Points
Very jammy with tons of fruit and tannins but not the kind of Bordeaux I like. Its like a wine from Southern Rhone or even a new world wine. A disapointment
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7/10/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: 93 Points
From 375ml and decanted 6hrs. Brilliant ruby color. initially, pure clean fruit driven nose of cassis and cherry, with creamy vanilla and mocha coming out in time. Palate is polished, balanced, and incredibly focused. Incredibly tannic, but with finest soft tannins I've ever experienced. Lots of red fruits on the palate with pure cassis and black cherry flavors. Lengthy fine finish of cedar box quickly overshadowed by the strong tannic structure. While enjoyable now with food, the tannins hide a great wine underneath. Needs a lot of time but should be incredible. 93+
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7/9/2010 - plhew wrote: 93 Points
Needs time to mellow out. Drank after the rampolla 99 and was not near as mellow. Score can improve with age.
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6/18/2010 - docvino wrote: 95 Points
Popped and decanted for 3 hours. Classic aromatic Bordeaux nose. Well structured and complex; full bodied and concentrated on the palate. Best descriptors would be earthiness and pencil shavings. The fruit was less obvious and difficult to appreciate but dark fruit predominated. Clearly this is a young Bordeaux and with time will be a superb and stunning.
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6/16/2010 - Lord Rayas wrote: 92 Points
Kids pool luncheon party (Bunny and Peggy's house in Stanley): nice perfume nose of sweet earth, graphite and a touch of vanilla. muscular structure with magnificent concentration and formidable tannins. no doubt this will last for at least 50+ years but for now it is a bit backward and lags behind the exotic and aromatic 2003.
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4/15/2010 - LeechDogg wrote: 90 Points
Slight brett, graphite, metallic, tannic, dark red fruit.
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3/19/2010 - Frank Murray III wrote:
The OC Blind Crew (Kimera--Irvine, CA): Of the whole flight (Montelena, Pichon Longueville and Montrose), this Canet was the biggest, most plump of the group. Really terrific balance, mineral, some tannin and a long finish. I can understand why this wine is so well liked.
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3/8/2010 - audicfa wrote: 93 Points
Opened this as a bit of an experiment. V/worried that is was going to be far too early. I was pleasantly surprised. Popped and poured. Closed on the nose intially but opened up beautifully in the glass after a 1/2 hr. Well balanced, noticeable dark fruits, round full body with a 30+ second finish. Tannins were there but hardly overwhelming. Drank over 2 days. 5 bottles left.
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2/15/2010 - Clarkmeister wrote: 90 Points
Least impressive bottle of this I've had by far. Super closed down and never got going. Carissa 91
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1/31/2010 - JJL wrote: 94 Points
This is the best sub-$100 '05 Bordeaux around. It needs to be decanted for at least 8 hours to drink, but then it really provides a great drinking pleasure. Tannins are big, but silky. The fruit is dark blackberry, licorice, and plums with leather and charcoal around the edges. Long smooth finish, no heat. Our host opened another bottle after this one was kicked and was shut-down, just like the bottle I opened before the decanting. This will only get better.
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1/26/2010 - City Wine Journal wrote: 96 Points
Pontet-Canet Vertical with Alfred Tesseron, Kevin Zraly, and Sherry Lehmann (Four Seasons Restaurant, Manhattan): Go to the head of the class. While the 1996 for me was the wine of the night, this wine is clearly on a different level from everything else this evening. A nose that makes you close your eyes and breathe deep. This 2005 has a lift, an elevation, and a silkiness that is simply stunning. So well balanced, and not nearly putting all its moves on the field yet. Still, obvious to everyone: in a lineup of excellent wines, classic wines from P-C, and in the presence of the owner and an expert taster, the 2005 is the pedigree. It IS a cut above the rest, it DOES deserve its reputation. It WILL be one of the most amazing wines you will ever have. Hoard and hold!
And what a gauntlet thrown down for 2009!
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1/15/2010 - BigShlo wrote: 93 Points
Let breathe for 6 hours... fruit was still muted and just appearing! Aroma of classic Bordeaux black currant, green pepper, and earth. Some licorice and pencil lead. Nice silky, full-bodied mouthfeel. Taste is deep and carries without any holes in the palate. Oak is well integrated. Long, long finish. By the end of the glass, flavor was coating the mouth for 2-3 minutes with each sip. Doesn't overpower at the same time.
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1/2/2010 - Clarkmeister wrote: 95 Points
Ranges from excellent to mind-blowing every time I drink it.
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12/27/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
On the nose an essence of Pauillac, stunning richness and depth, minerals and sweet blackcurrants, lead pencil, completely absorbed oak; tremendous energy, an iron fist in a velvet glove; immensely long, cocoa and spices. Pontet-Canet really did something very special in 2005.
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12/15/2009 - Johisco wrote: 96 Points
Wow! Super wine but way to young! No need to pop one now, save it....
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12/12/2009 - S. Lorin wrote:
red, tannic, viscous, long finish but not giving an inch - CLOSED! Drinkers beware...
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12/6/2009 - Roughl wrote: 94 Points
Surely this will be exceptional in 20+ years...
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11/15/2009 - il_diavolo wrote: 92 Points
really long finish - I start with that as it was the best feature. its a 2005 cru classe so I wanted to like it (love it) more but I couldnt - may just be in a dumb phase. good blackcurrant fruit on nose and palate. dry tannins. hold on to it if you have some (dont even try it as an experiment)
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10/4/2009 - elbosco wrote: 94 Points
Decanted one hour and nursed over the course of the evening. Deep, dark garnet. Still in diapers. Restrained nose yielding violets and resin. Gripping tannins overwhelm rich dark fruit lurking in the shadows. Aristocratic elegance. Remarkable finish. Hold for at least least five to seven years.
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10/3/2009 - davidselvia wrote: 96 Points
Mandarin Oriental Sanya; Crushed blackberry, pomegranate, mineral, grey Japanese soy milk; Huge
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9/12/2009 - pian0_player wrote: 97 Points
A little tight and closed, but very impressive. Huge and powerful. Blackberry, kirsh, mineral, earth, chocolate, plum, almost port like tannins and density. Layered and complex. Awesome! My wotn.
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6/16/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Opaque in color with an intoxicating perfume of spicy, black fruit, cassis and oak. Dense and full bodied. Stunning levels of concentration which lead to a great mouthfeel that fills and excites all your taste buds! There is a great freshness and balance to the wine with a finish that lasts close to forty seconds... This is truly a wow wine that is Second Growth in quality!
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6/14/2009 - robertek wrote: 93 Points
2005 Bordeaux blends (Stockholm): Blackcurrant, truffels, cedar - classic stuff although a bit closed. On the palate it was all tannins but the masses of dark fruit will be handling that and ensures me that it is a fantastic wine in the making. I will however wait many years before I open the next bottle. I had expected this to come out as the WOTN but I was wrong. I am however still convinced this is the wine with the greatest potential of them all.
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5/20/2009 - tbabes wrote: 95 Points
A lovely bouquet, with scents of ripe dark fruits, lavender, stones and mineral; very pure and focused. Great intensity on the palate, with fine delineation, good structure, ripe tannins, and a long finish. From 375.
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5/19/2009 - DAN BAILEY wrote:
Dark to the rim. Very dark, deep nose with rich truffles, blueberries and soy. Really rich, caramel attack that was utterly beguiling. Long, sweet fruited, velvety mid palate follows through to a still slightly drying finish. This wine was so good it felt kinky!
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3/9/2009 - NavyGrog wrote: 93 Points
Opened to contrast with 1988 Mouton. Wow, what potential. Full of flavor and despite the harsh tannins, delivered a mouthful of satisfaction. Can't wait until 2015.
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2/24/2009 - BFG wrote:
Nose of black and stewed fruit (but not overly stewed). The tannins are overpowering and drying, although there is clearly plenty of fruit underneath. In 15 years, great. Now, OUCH!
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2/19/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
This is the bees knees. Fantastic rich blackcurrant fruit, lead pencil, terroir, concentrated, gravitas and elegance, immensely long, already a dream but with half a century in front of it.
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1/26/2009 - jrobs7777 wrote:
Union des Grand Cru Tasting (Lighthouse (Pier 61, Chelsea Piers)): At UGC Grand Tasting in New York. Exceeded expectations. I had high expectations for this wine and it came through, exceeding my expectations. Big dark and complex. The attack is nice a brigh, which was a surprise, but it develops brooding deep dark fruit notes on the mid-palate and has an excellent finish.
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1/26/2009 - ews3 wrote: 97 Points
Union des Grand Crus 2005 & 2006 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC (Lighthouse, NYC): excellent. bright fruit on the attack, followed by dark, brooding fruit in the middle. long, long finish -- at least 45 seconds. an awesome wine.
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1/24/2009 - peternelson wrote: 91 Points
UGC LA: Rasp candy, swt frt; soft, gd structure, swt mth--yum
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1/24/2009 - Badfish wrote: 96 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2005 & 2006 Tasting (Hyatt, Century City): I find the nose to be somewhat closed as it does not show a lot of power or complexity but there are notes of currant and blackberry. The palate is another story with staggering complexity and structure. The flavors consist of the essence of stones, currant, cherry, and espresso. The soft black cherry note is particularly lovely on the long finish. Quite simply everything is there on the palate: the tannins, the acidity, the concentration, and the complexity. Sure it will take time for the tannins to mellow and the fruit to blossom but I have no doubt this is a legend in the making. 96+
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12/24/2008 - Todd French wrote: 96 Points
Nearly as well made as the Larcis Ducasse, in a tasting of various Bordeaux, this was my WOTN. Beautiful dark fruits, substantial mouthfeel, full tannins, long finish. Happy to have several bottles, that is for certain.
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12/10/2008 - mnh wrote:
Deep color. Beautiful young Bordeaux.
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12/2/2008 - MRichman wrote:
2005 Horizontal (North Square, NYC): Sweet big core with strong bright fruit. Nicely built with nice acid. Classy. Pure, clean. Very complex.
B+/A-
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12/2/2008 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 87 Points
2005 Bordeaux Test Drive (North Square): Largish in scale though it seems to go back and forth between muscle and fat. The fruit is on the plummy side for a Left Bank wine and combines some up-front sweetness with a deeper brothiness. Still, the tannins are so burly it's hard to get at what's inside here.
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10/21/2008 - poptart_nyc wrote: 87 Points
2005 Bordeaux- leftovers from WS Experience (SL Gallery): lots of structure, lots of fruit, lots of vanilla smoothness. newer world style. ggreat brightness, freshness, in finish.
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10/18/2008 - tefus wrote: 96 Points
Drank beside the 2004 Pontet Canet, thick, rich, silky smooth, much better then the 2004 PC, but in my opinion not up to the same level as the 2005 Grand Puy Lacoste. With some age this may change. Great wine though, and well worth the money. The 2005 bordeaux has been spectacular.
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10/18/2008 - G SQUARED wrote: 95 Points
WS Exp - Bright dark red fruit notes. Lush wood tannins conceal beautiful fruit tannins. lots happening here and I might have to adjust my score upward. Side note - This was the first organice wine ever made by the Chateau
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10/1/2008 - Remony wrote: 94 Points
2005 Red Bordeaux Vintage Farr Vintners Masterclass (Vintners Hall, City of London): Colour round and full. Nose not at all fierce, notes of vanilla and caramel. Velvety tannins, all elements in place. V long, complex, but not ready of course. Lovely wine.
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8/30/2008 - Roentgen Ray wrote: 93 Points
Drank in celebration of sending Teardrop 5.13a in American Fork.
Rich dark purple color. Very aromatic and much more expressive than I expected from such a young wine. Dark fruit and casssis, tarragon with a spray of perfume, complex, with a beautiful balance of acidity, fruit wrapped in a silky shear of tannin. The wine glides across the palate with a lively finish. I look forward to the next 14 bottles.
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8/3/2008 - EyeDoc wrote: 96 Points
Great Bordeaux. Tremendous fruit.
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6/10/2008 - BradE wrote:
Picked these up at Costco. Had a couple of bottles today. Drinking well. Loads of good fruit, not over the top. A good drink, and a great value.
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6/1/2008 - Alex H wrote: 88 Points
Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux: Review of 2005 Vintage (Conrad Centennial Singapore): Raspberry, some oak…sweet raspberry and strawberries on the palate. Beautiful length and energy. 85+ to 90+pts.
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5/26/2008 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2005 vintage tasting and dinner (Conrad Interntational, Singapore): UGC tasting. Totally agree with the last poster - great now, but with the potential to be absolutely fantastic. Classic Pauillac with wonderful, wonderful purity of blackcurrant fruit. Great balance, with a tremendous freshness and good, firm tannins. Very clean, extremely focused. A little watery tinge on the finish disturbed me slightly. Still, my notes are littered with exclamation marks with this one. So very primary now, but with so many good things going on. Best Pontet Canet I've ever tried by quite a distance.
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5/25/2008 - Roel van Gestel wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at the château. Thank you, Jean Michel, for opening this treat. Enormous aromatic profile. Cinnamon, ripe strawberry, roses, cassifruit and o so fresh and exciting. A complex, mouth filling wine. Loads and layers of fruit, very ripe and sweet, but not overdone. Fresh, deep and creamy. Solid ripe tannins. Superb lenght. Wow!! 95/100
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5/16/2008 - EyeDoc wrote: 94 Points
94 points with upside. So Pauillac - reminds me of great wines I have tasted over the years from this appellation. Brooding Monster describes it all. You are going to love this if you love Cabernet based Bordeaux.
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5/10/2008 - cab blends wrote: 94 Points
AHA Hearts Delight - Bordeaux 2005 Wine Tasting: Dark, very dark. Wood dust and smooth
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4/19/2008 - win wrote: 95 Points
BM stock. Just huge aromatics, and very tannic right now. In line with previous tastings.
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4/19/2008 - mmyette wrote: 95 Points
Brooding youngster. This wine was tight and closed. revealed lots of cassis and dark berry fruit, intermixed with the usual slate, mineral, and burnt earth. Finish was long, and after 24 hours, the wine was more open, and revealing a whole bouquet of fresh fruit, with no diminishment in the palate. Acicity was relatively sharp, and the balance was incredible.
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4/17/2008 - Pavie Princess wrote: 95 Points
I recieved several cases of the wine this week so I decided to try a few to assess quality myself. Opened the wine and let it sit for 4.5 hours. The bouquet was somewhat muted but I then aerated the glass I poured. That helped the bouquet come out behind the facade. It had lead pencil wet clay and mineral smell. The first sip was cherry and cassis and currant with hints of spice. The tannins in this bottle were strong but in another I opened up and let sit they were more reasonable. The mid palate revealed more spice vanilla and some licorice. The finish was long and i got more wet clay and minerality with cherry and berry accents. The aroma of the wine is pretty intense and the backbone of this wine is of great ilk. Perfect balance between the fruit and acidity. I think this one is going to get 3 - 4 extra points over its next decade. I would definitely recommend adding this wine to your portfolio. 95+ Points
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4/12/2008 - mmurry wrote: 92 Points
Champagne and Bordeaux (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had a nice perfume smell, plus cassis, melted chocolate, cedar box, and a bit of spice. The palate was fat, with cassis, cedar, raspberry, and a spicy finish.
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4/11/2008 - win wrote: 96 Points
Started fairly tannic, with a very complex finish indicating an amazing future. A bit more closed than last year, but I think this wine will eventually have a higher overall rating.
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3/9/2008 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine:
A big ripe cassis fruit infused wine impressive for its sheer richness! Shows nice depth too. Not as well structured or as balanced as Pichon Baron, though I am certain many will thoroughly enjoy its full body and sumptuous, almost oozing, levels of jam-like fruit.
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1/22/2008 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
2005 Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux Tasting (Drake Hotel, Chicago, Illinois): 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petite Verdot. This was the only Pauillac estate which clearly surpassed what they di in 2000 and 2003. Very fine effort. Well made and complex wine. An old world nose. Sweet tannins and a viscous texture. Plenty of ripe red fruit that will hold up well in the long haul. Long finish. 94+ points.
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1/19/2008 - hcampana wrote: 96 Points
2005 Bordeaux @ Union des Grand Crus (San Francisco, CA): This is a slightly more rustic Pichon Baron with a level of additional flavor volume. What a great wine this is. Rich, full of black currant, ripe, intense and the longest finish.
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1/19/2008 - tanglenet wrote:
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (San Francisco): Tasted at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux in SF. Quick notes: dark dusty sweet fruit with a dry finish. Good.
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1/18/2008 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2005 Vintage Tasting; 1/18/2008-1/19/2008 (Los Angeles and San Francisco): Dark red violet color; sexy, ripe berry and kirsch nose; ripe, plush plum and berry palate, a little extracted; medium-plus finish (65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot)
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10/27/2007 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
WS NYWE 'Blind Tasting' (Marriott Marquis): Full coffee red color. Medium smoky slightly hot black cherry nose. Nice round spicy black fruit with a coffee note.
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6/22/2007 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
With coaxing, this extremely concentrated, Bordeaux wine started to strut its stuff. Black, purple in color. Very dense and mouthfilling. Huge levels of fruit and body with enough tannin and structure to age for decades. The impressive finish lasted at least fifty seconds!
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3/2/2007 - win wrote: 96 Points
Had at chateau with JMC. Unbelievable potential – awesome fruit showing, with refined tannins. Had right after visit at Mouton. I thought this was a little better than the 2005 Mouton (which is a great wine as well). My favorite wine during this visit to Bordeaux. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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4/5/2006 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 93 Points
BORDEAUX 2005 / Cabernet rules; 4/5/2006-4/10/2006 (Bordeaux): An Oreo cookie nose! Then black currant, very ripe cassis. Palate is sweet, rich and wet, with some very ripe plum and an added freshness, with underlying depth, too. Very, very nice wine! 92-94+
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3/28/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote:
2005 Bordeaux en Primeur; 3/26/2006-3/28/2006 (Bordeaux France): En Primeur tasting. Really rockstar. Sensational aromatic start- black and red fruit with liqueur and spice. Powerful flavors to match with elegant tannins. Great balance and length, 94-96 point potential. Everybody I was with agreed this is amazing.
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