Château Pontet-Canet 2000

A lovely lead-in of singed cedar and vanilla notes gives way to slightly taut, racy red and black currant fruit flavors that drive nicely through an iron-edged finish. Rather sleek and tightly focused, relying more on minerality than power. -- Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2023. 2,330 cases made.

From magnum, a youthful color, reflecting slow evolution. Aromas of cedar, lead pencil, roasted notes and primary fruit. Fine-grained, noticeable tannin. Excellent balance of power and smooth texture. Noé Tesseron described it as 'older school Pauillac', and I liked it a lot. Long finish. Aged 60% in new oak.

Extremely rich and decadent with leaf, meat and spice aromas. Ripe fruit too. Lots of toasted wood. Full and mature now. Lovely to drink now. Gorgeous.

Very dark crimson. Thick and dense but without lift. A bit stodgy. (JR)

Deep red-ruby. Explosive nose combines raspberry, roasted currant, grilled nuts and exotic spices. Rich, sexy, silky and full in the mouth, with expressive flavors of black raspberry, game, smoke and truffle. Finishes with strong but suave tannins and excellent length. St. Julien

Solid example of classic Pauillac, focusing on the cedarwood, tobacco, ash, cigar box and bright red fruits with a blast of cassis in the finish. There is a touch of dryness in the endnote. Give it an hour or 2 in the decanter.

Deep ruby, purple reflections, subtle brightening at the rim. Multifaceted bouquet with notes of black berries, cassis and candied violets, with spicy nuances of cedar wood and incense. Taut, medium-bodied and tightly knit on the palate, with fine dark fruit, fresh structure, vivid tannins, powerful finish; still very youthful, with many years ahead. Thanks to improvements in the vineyard, it is already much more complex than in previous years, but does not yet show the elegance and finesse that will come at the beginning of the next decade. A thoroughly robust Pauillac.

Extremely deep violet-purple, with black highlights. Dreamlike, classic Pauillac bouquet: blackberries, spicy terroir, a touch of truffle, dark noble woods. A fleshy, dense palate with fairly fine tannins; once again a superb, ripe Cabernet aromatics profile, plenty of blue and black berries, tannins that still gently grip on the finish, giving the wine an almost powerful character. A top wine with enormous ageing potential.

A remarkable achievement on every level: generous, harmonious, both hedonistic and rigorous.

Inviting, fresh bouquet of good intensity, with notes of blackberry and cinnamon. Lovely structure on the palate that confirms the freshness announced by the bouquet. The tannins are powerful yet well-integrated, making the wine harmonious. Persistent finish.

Not decanted. Dark, intense, and developed color. Moderately aromatic nose with hints of fruit and coffee (bouquet). Caressing palate where the wine glides, flavorful and creamy, yet juicy and sappy on the finish. Ready to drink.

It was one of the vintage’s revelations, and enthusiasts who have some in their cellar will not be disappointed. Red-fruit notes dominate, with the whole showing real aromatic freshness. Very refined, without being intensely concentrated, it is beautifully balanced. But it is in the length of the finish that the wine’s intensity really becomes apparent. Very pure, it is delicious to drink now, but will benefit from ten years of ageing.

01: Extremely dense violet-purple color with black highlights. Dreamy, classic Pauillac bouquet, blackberries and spicy terroir, a touch of truffle, dark noble woods. Meaty, dense palate, rather fine tannins, again a great, ripe Cabernet aromatic profile with plenty of blue and black berries; the tannins gently roughen on the finish yet give the wine an almost powerful character. Top wine on the Médoc scene, enormous aging potential. (18/20). 10: Brilliant bouquet, lots of regal Cabernet spice, fine kitchen-herb notes, blackberries, blackcurrants, Brazil tobacco. Regal palate, fairly fine tannins that shape into a balanced astringency, still shows a long future and easily ranks among the very best Bordeaux values at this price point. A baroque Pauillac! (19/20). 12: At a dinner with friends from Lucerne at the estate. Dense, demanding, still clearly astringent. You could possibly start now – but you would miss at least half of what comes later… (19/20). 14: At the moment the Cabernet is in an earthy phase, with a strong Rhône affinity, warm and yet still demanding. A truly great Pontet-Canet. The newer, bigger ones are more expensive, so keep your eyes open! (19/20). 14: Right after uncorking: dark wine-red, at the very outer rim you can spot a very fine hint of maturity. Quite open bouquet, inky traces, dark woods, Brazil tobacco; it shows many layers and reveals the great Médoc Grand Cru bouquet in an initial phase; behind that you can discern fine animal nuances, venison and delicate leather notes. On the palate, firm; the sweetish, nobly radiant tannins show first roundness and are almost completely integrated into the beautifully shaped body; blackberry and stem-spice notes on the finish. A great Pontet that will always preserve a certain character. Vintage 2000 was compared to 1982 from the outset. It won’t be exactly the same; in terms of taste it will evolve rather towards a classic millésime. Difficult to decant because it showed a very mealy sediment. (19/20). At the Wine & Dine: incredible spicy fragrance, lots of cedar, coffee, overall more spice than fruit. (19/20). 16: At the Sempacherhof. Wow. I have rarely experienced so much spicy cedar aroma in a Pauillac. The wine has power and further potential for many years. If you decant it for an hour, it really takes off even now. 17: On the Frutt with Ruedi Bewert. The nose was already surprisingly accessible and full of sweetness with almost imposing volume. On the palate it still shows reserves for later, but in fact it is already in its full pleasure phase. I love this style of Pontet-Canet more than the recent vintages. (19/20). 21: Intense garnet-purple, dense at the core. The nose in the first seconds still conveys plenty of fruit—leaning towards blueberry, which simultaneously underlines its Cabernet presence. On the second approach: licorice, black currant and a hint of cold mocha and freshly snapped rosemary needles. Firm, demanding palate, displaying imposing tannins which are now slowly rounding. A Pauillac with power and charisma! (19/20). 21: Medium-dark red with a brickish sheen. Magnificent bouquet: prunes, cinnamon, black pepper powder, earth-ice tone, Havana tobacco—intense and multi-layered. On the palate still demanding and clearly astringent; the tannins sit in the lower Grand Cru range, which gives it power and character. Just uncorked, it seems almost a bit strenuous. After a few hours of air it shows its brilliance. I’m loving it! And clearly more than the very young Pontet-Canets which I sometimes no longer really understand! Long decanting! (19/20).

This is a very modern style of wine, with generous new wood and super-ripe fruit flavors, balancing with polished solid tannins. Very international in style, it is good, but could come from anywhere.