I’m back with the next instalment of my series in which I drink every classified growth in Bordeaux.
Today, I tried the 2006 vintage from the well known 5th growth producer Chateau Pontet-Canet from Pauillac appellation.
When opened, the wine instantly greeted me with rich aromas of dark fruit, gravel and graphite. In the glass, it was a deep, opaque colour with a slight ruby rim.
On the palate, it was initially rather closed but with some time in the glass and good swirl it began to open up. It was rather dense and had the classic Pauillac flavours of blackberry, cassis and earth. Some elements that really stood out for me were its minerality, the meaty, chewy tannins and the touch of mint on the medium length finish.
I was quite surprised with the significant acidity of the wine but the tannins created such a nice chewy texture that it didn’t matter. Perhaps a longer decant would have helped balance things more?
While not as complex or impressive as I would have hoped, I enjoyed the Pontet Canet 2006 and would be keen to try more vintages of this wine.
£60/$80 paid for the bottle from Squelch (so a cheaper price but a gamble on the provenance).
90 points
7/61 drank
17/61 bought
by Manzilla48
3 Comments
I’ve had a few bottles of this vintage. One was on par with your description but one was absolutely sublime to the point that I’d rate it as one of my favorite wines of all time. Storage can definitely play a part
I think this vintage potentially does you a disservice. Not necessarily because they made bad wine but because they had just switched to fully biodynamic in 2005 (certifications in 2010 and 2014, organic in 2010). Then draft horses in 2008 and changing aging vessels/amount of new oak after 2012.
I haven’t had Pontet-Canet and while they’ve done a lot of changes, it only seems to continue benefiting the wine.
I have the 2010 to 2015 vertical of Pontet Canet. Just waiting for a good time to open them