REVIEW: Chateau Pontet-Canet 2010

When in Bordeaux, you must do as, uhm, the people of Bordeaux do. What would they be called? Bordeaux-ites, Bordeaux-eans, Bordeaux-ings? It does not matter, I did as they do, and I had wine in the plenty! Cheese, charcuterie and a few of those lovely rustic dishes that most Westerners would not dare to touch or even want to look at, mind you.

While traveling from the northern part of France, through Reims and then off to the coast line, we had a couple nights’ stay in the lovely, bohemian, renaissance city of Bordeaux. Of course, there are plenty of options to head off into the countryside and check out some Chateaus and grand estates, however, why do that, when you might be lucky enough to just see two or three wineries and have a handful of wines; when you can have a seat at a local bar that serves Grand Crus on tap, and you can sample five or ten or fifteen in a couple nights? The wine bar was youthful, yet with rustic surroundings and plenty of wines to choose from, and not just from Bordeaux, but all of France, with some odd ones here and there from Germany, Austria, Spain and some New World picks.

Many of the wines were delicious, intriguing, inspiring, however, one in particular stood out for me, the Chateau Pontet-Canet 2010.

About the Chateau

The estate has a long-standing history in the Medoc, since the eighteenth century. It was originally owned by Jean-François de Pontet, the then, royal governor of the Medoc. He combined several parcels of vineyards in the region of Pauillac, and years later, his descendants added on some neighboring vines, named Canet. At the time, it was one of the largest vineyard estates in all of the Medoc.

In 1855, Pontet-Canet was classified as a Grand Cru making it among the elite of Medoc, and due to its prestige, one of the most renowned Bordeaux wine shippers, Herman Cruse took notice and purchased the estate in 1865. He revamped the facility with new wine making technology of the time and established the reputation of the chateaux to be recognized throughout the world. The Cruse family owned the estate for a little over a hundred years, when Guy Tesseron, a shipper of Cognac decided to acquire it for him and his family in 1975.

It has remained in the Tesseron family ever since and is now run by Alfred and his niece, Melanie. They have renovated some of the buildings and wine making facilities for the modern time and have also replanted some of the vineyards over the last three decades.

The Vineyards

The Chateau Pontet-Canet vineyards are located in the Pauillac appellation, just south of Mouton Rothschild where the infamous poor gravel soils live in some of the world’s greatest vineyards.

The soils are so poor, that at one point, it was believed that nothing could grow, not even grape vines. Today, there are 80 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, the signature varietal of the Pauillac region and it is home to some of the most prestigious vines which turn out some of the world’s most elegant wines. You can also find Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot here.

The Wine

Just as you might have expected from the description of the estate and vineyards, this is and wine of elegance and is a classic. The wine from first glance is a beauty, inky, and a beautiful depth of color, garnet and deep cherry. If you give it a nice swirl in the right light, you might catch notes of garnet.

The perfume is complex with plenty of savory and fruit notes and some in between. On the nose you first get notes of rich and deep cherry, chocolate, licorice, fresh ground dark roast coffee beans, and even earthy cured olive. On the palate it opens up even more, full of fresh, juicy, dark berry notes with lingering notes of suede and cassis. It lingers and will hang out for a while.

It is definitely lovely to sip all on its own, but if by chance you have any artisanal salamis or charcuterie and aged cheeses on hand, make yourself a picnic and enjoy your evening!

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