2019 Pontet-Canet (Pauillac)

Dark, intense and beautiful color. Nice, very aromatic, pure nose with ripe fruit. Rich and textured from the start, then melting in the middle, very fragrant and very present, precise in its flavors, the wine evolves ascending between the middle and the finish. A noble finish, one of the most fragrant seen in Pontet Canet at this age. Fine tannin grain. Blend: 65% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot. Alcohol level: 13 ° 5. This last information is important as it is more difficult to obtain a dense body and a velvety touch with an alcohol level well below 14 °. In addition, I know that some of you are sensitive to this fact. 2026 - 2056. 96 points

Clear Pauillac character in terms of its tannic structure, overlaid with the Pontet signature of recent vintages that translates into spirals of peony and iris alongside brambled hedgerow. As it settles, coffee bean and tobacco adds a charred character alongside blackberry and cassis puree. It opens extremely slowly, with so many subtle nuances that gather in confidence. The tannins have unmistakeable Pauillac strength, but the structure and the subtlety of this wine is Pontet-Canet, with the amphoras having an influence in terms of the tannins feeling less silky than they do in many of the appellation`s biggest wines, but still with swagger. Back to a normal yield after the difficulties in 2018 with mildew that saw production drop to 12hl/ha. This is the last vintage under Jean-Michel Comme, technical director and estate manager for past 32 years. He has been replaced by Mathieu Bessonnet who has spent the last 15 years with Michel Chapoutier on his (also biodynamically farmed) estates in Australia and Alsace and who was, they tell me, selected by Comme who chose him and worked with him. 96 points