2015 Pontet-Canet (Pauillac)

Vibrant plum colour, followed by spiced plum on the nose, more exotic in its range of flavours and silky texture than many vintages, still powerful and in its primary fruit phase. This is a gorgeous wine, hard to argue with, showing estate character over appellation or vintage. The tannins are softer at this stage that you will find with the 2016, even the 2014, but there is so much pleasure in the glass, and it will power ahead for decades. Harvest September 18 to October 3. This was the vintage where Tesseron decided to make no more Les Hauts de Pontet, with everything going either into the first wine, or declassified, as he felt both that the vineyard had reached the level he wanted, and also that philosophically that he wanted the wine to be a true reflection of the whole vineyard. 95 points

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Pontet-Canet comes charging out of the glass with fantastically expressive notes of black cherry preserves, black raspberries and blackcurrant pastilles plus touches of kirsch, wilted roses, tobacco, camphor and cinnamon stick with a waft of fragrant soil. Full bodied, the palate is laden with black and red fruit layers, supported by very firm, very finely grained tannins and provocative freshness, finishing with incredible length and stunningly perfumed. 97 points suspect will gain more weight during its élevage. Afford this 5-8 years in bottle and you should have a delicious, intellectual Pontet-Canet on your hands. 94-96 points

Accent on the dark fruit. Not overly demonstrative but fresh and balanced. Touch dry on the finish. 88 points

The thick skins of the 2015 grapes made it easier to be organic and biodynamic when the rains came in late August, according to winemaker, Jean-Michel Comme. This is certainly a very serious, concentrated Pontet-Canet with compact, almost Italianate tannins, plenty of oak and layers of dark, plummy fruit. The finish is just a tad dry perhaps. Drink: 2022-35. 94 points