2009 Château Pontet-Canet

Although only declared a fifth-growth property in the famous Bordeaux Classification of 1855, there is little argument that today Pontet-Canet produces on of the best wines in all Bordeaux more-or-less every vintage. From its superbly-sited 120 hectares of land located on the top of a small hill to the north of Pauillac and next door to Mouton Rothschild, around 80 hectares are planted to 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Over the past two decades or so, Pontet-Canet, under the leadership of its owner, the irrepressible Alfred Tesseron, has slowly transformed and evolved into the exceptional performer that it is today. It has done this through what Alfred himself declares as a ‘dedication to the vineyard’. Realising that pesticides and soil compaction had played a huge role in Pontet-Canet’s long history of producing ‘merely adequate’ wines, Tesseron’s focus shifted to embracing first organic, and later biodynamic viticulture in an effort to return Pontet-Canet at least to a classified growth-worthy position. After many decades of often mediocre and uninspiring wines, glimmers of hope emerged in the late 1980s, and by the mid 1990s Pontet-Canet was producing good wines most vintages. By the 2000s, Pontet-Canet was producing seriously impressive wines, and by the twin great years of 2009 and 2010, Pontet-Canet’s wines were considered the equal of the best of Bordeaux most years. This has continued, where today critics and consumers alike rate Pontet-Canet amongst each vintage’s best wines.