The 2015 Pontet Canet is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 50% new oak and 35% in amphora. With textbook Pauillac notes of lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf, smoke, and licorice, as well as a core of pure crème de cassis fruit, this beautiful, full-bodied, impeccably balanced wine is one of the few 2015s that’s going to demand cellaring. The tannins are high yet sweet and, like its bright acidity, nicely integrated into the wine. Forget bottles for 5–7 years and enjoy over the following three decades. I don’t put this at the level of the 2009 and 2010, but it’s still a beautiful wine. Tasted three times.

This sports a lovely core of gently steeped plum, blackberry and black currant fruit, carried by velvety structure, while smoldering tobacco and charcoal notes fill in through the finish. Fleshes out steadily in the glass, revealing more juniper, bay leaf and loam accents. (JM)

Proprietor Alfred Tesseron and winemaker Jean-Michel Comme produced an absolutely stellar Pontet-Canet in 2015. Sumptuous, racy and totally inviting, the 2015 is all class. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, spice and exotic floral notes build as the 2015 shows off its alluring personality. Even with all of its raciness, the 2015 speaks with authority and power. Fine tannins extend the persistent, highly nuanced finish. The 2015 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot aged 50% new oak, 4% in terra cotta and 15% in neutral oak. Tasted three times.

So much floral and dark-fruit character with almonds and walnut shell. Full body and ultra-fine tannins. Powerful. Classic style with a harmony and energy. Goes on for minutes. A superb wine with great fruit. Real Bordeaux. Try in 2025.

The 2015 Pontet Canet was tasted on two occasions about two weeks apart, and I noticed a superior showing the second time. This year is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, picked from September 18 for the Merlot and from September 28 for the Cabernet, finishing on October 3. It is matured in 50% new oak, 35% concrete and 15% one-year-old barrels. It has a pure, perfumed bouquet with small dark cherries, red plum and subtle violet scents, perhaps a little Margaux-like in style, the second tasting showing a bit more red-fruit character. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly grainy texture on entry. Acidity is well-judged here, depth is moderate, and the very supple tannins lend a silky texture. There is modest weight toward the second half, perhaps spicier than some of its Pauillac peers, with an edgy, lightly peppered finish. It is an intriguing and complex, almost mercurial Pontet-Canet, a wine I suspect will gain more weight during its élevage. Give it 5–8 years in bottle and you should have a delicious, intellectual Pontet-Canet on your hands.