Pontet Canet 2003

The 200-acre fifth-growth Pontet-Canet has excelled since 2000. Owner Alfred Tesseron said that the key to the 2003 vintage was keeping everything—alcohol, acidity and tannins—in balance; he succeeded, producing a refined wine with a long finish. The grapes—65 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Merlot, plus Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot—were picked early, in mid-September, then aged in two-thirds new oak for 15 to 20 months. 22,500 cases made.

Rich, fairly full-bodied, firmly tannic; fleshy-ripe Cabernet fruit within a chewy frame; fair complexity, good length. Long-term muscularity!

One cannot say enough about the labors of proprietor Alfred Tesseron, who has personally overseen the dramatic increase in quality of the wines at Pontet-Canet which started in a significant manner with 1994. This is a classic Pauillac-styled wine (meaning oodles of cassis flavors), as one might expect from a vineyard on the plateau of Pauillac, across the street from Mouton-Rothschild. One of the great successes of the vintage and certainly one of the most profound Pontet-Canets made over the last decade is the 2003. Deep purple to the rim with a glorious nose of scorched earth, black currant jam, smoke, licorice, and roasted meats, it is full-bodied, incredibly powerful, dense, with low acidity but high tannin, broad-shouldered, and savory. This is a stunning, pure, classic Pontet-Canet that should be at its best between 2010 and 2035.

In this vintage the final blend, which tips the scales at 12.9% alcohol, includes 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine is impressively endowed but still backward and not at all one of the more showy and flamboyant 2003s. It is dense purple-colored to the rim, with a pure creme de cassis nose intermixed with some high-class toasty new oak, full-bodied with ripe tannin and low acidity in a rather formidable, concentrated style that still seems backward in spite of what I am sure is more glycerin and a lower acid style than usual. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.+ As most well-informed insiders in Bordeaux know, proprietor Alfred Tesseron has been doing everything right since 1994 in order to fully develop the enormous potential of this vineyard adjacent to Mouton-Rothschild. Some serious work is done in the vineyard including de-budding, de-leafing, and crop-thinning. The harvest usually takes place in several attempts trying to maximize ripeness and there are two separate sorting tables. Yields have dropped dramatically, and of course there is a severe selection.

An outstanding success for this well-known chateau that still sells its wine at a reasonable price, Pontet-Canet’s 2003 possesses all of the vintage’s power and richness, but is classic in its proportions. While medium to full-bodied, with a boatload of tannin, low acidity gives it more up-front appeal than usual. The color is dense purple to the rim, and classic creme de cassis aromas and flavors are well-displayed. With considerable purity, depth, texture, and personality, it is a wine to buy by readers looking to maximize their purchasing power in 2003 Bordeaux. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025.

Very dark crimson. Sweet and concentrated nose. Tannins very cleverly managed on the front palate – they make their impact only on the finish. Good fruit impact. Lively – some real effort here. Quite beefy.