2003 Pontet Canet

[ericp]

With a grilled beef tenderloin, garlic mashed red bliss potatoes, fresh corn off the cob.

Bottle 8 of a case - fully caused by classic BWE enablement
Opened 2 hours, not decanted.
Color is opaque purple with some light bricking. Full bodied with a firm structure with ripe fruit. Cedar, red fruit, first floor, nice balance with good acidity. Drinking amazingly well at the moment, maybe gets a little better in a blanquito.

So good right now - no rush to drink the remaining bottles.

[JimHow]

Well done EP, this is a wine that has been very difficult to understand over the years.
I've found it flabby as it emerged from a very awkward hibernation, but I have not had it in several years and some recent reports, like yours, have been promising.
I have a 3L bottle remaining for a future BWE event.

[AKR]

This was the beginning of the Great Climate Improvement

[ericp]

Indeed Arv - only bought three wines that year all in the same micro area, Pontet, Calon and Montrose.

[jckba]

Nice note, I drank through all of mine and also experienced a little variability btl to btl despite from the same case with some showing better than others.

[DavidG]

Same here, some were exciting (on release), others were variable but didn’t quite live up to the early promise. Maybe I just drank them too soon.

[Comte Flaneur]

I recently acquired a few bottles of the 2005 Pontet Canet, and I opened one tonight.

In 2015 at the chateau with Alfred T it was my pick of the four wines 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2009, in its youth.

This bottle is big framed, tannic and a little bit awkward, with its trademark Po-Ca crisp, red fruited entry. Modern and not immediately recognisable as Pauillac, with lots of coiled up tension, grittiness and potential. It is going through an awkward stage unlike many other 2005s which are starting to show very well. Needs 1-2 Blanquitos.

This comes in a ridiculously heavy bottle. This wine has little grace or elegance right now, but time will tell.

[DavidG]

I opened my first 2005 Pontet Canet about 4 months ago with similar impressions Ian.

[dstgolf]

Ian,

For the trio 03-05 the 03 is drinking the best exceeding expectations and yes David I suspect that you drank them too young. The 04 is also superb and a very close second ready for prime time. The 05 like several others is evolving at a glacial pace.

Thanks for the update on the 03 EP.

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks Danny

The 2005 is a bit more accommodating on day two and it is one serious piece of kit.

I bought so much Pontet Canet and I still can’t quite get my mind around it especially factoring in Neal Martin’s observation that it performs poorly in blind tastings of its peers. I think that may be because it sometimes is not instantly recognisable as Pauillac like say a Lynch Bages, which screams Pauillac. I am at a dinner tomorrow with Neal so may tweak him some more on this topic.

I can’t decide whether I prefer the (old style) 1996s or the (more modern and at times super) duo of 2000 and 2001 - a 2002 this year was really impressive but is a vintage I don’t own - the 2003 I do, judgement reserved, the 2004 I bought then sold on the basis that it is not real Pauillac, the 2005 impressed me most before I landed these bottles, and the 2009 Alex R urged me to buy on the basis that it is FG quality. The 2010 never floated my boat, while the 2011 and 2012 showed ever so well when we visited so got those and have a few 15s as well. There is a schizophrenic quality about Pontet Canet that I find quite fascinating. Three quarters of me is a believer, the other quarter is a sceptic.

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks Danny

The 2005 is a bit more accommodating on day two and it is one serious piece of kit.

I bought so much Pontet Canet and I still can’t quite really get my head around it especially factoring in Neal Martin’s observation that it performs poorly in blind tastings of its peers. I think that may be because it sometimes is not instantly recognisable as Pauillac like say a Lynch Bages, which screams Pauillac. I am at a dinner tomorrow with Neal so may tweak him some more on this topic.

I can’t decide whether I prefer the (old style) 1996s or the (more modern and at times super) duo of 2000 and 2001 - a 2002 this year was really impressive but is a vintage I don’t own - the 2003 I do, judgement reserved, the 2004 I bought then sold on the basis that it is not real Pauillac, the 2005 impressed me most before I landed these bottles, and the 2009 Alex R urged me to buy on the basis that it is FG quality. The 2010 never floated my boat, while the 2011 and 2012 showed ever so well when we visited so got those and have a few 15s and 19s as well. There is a schizophrenic quality about Pontet Canet that I find quite fascinating. Three quarters of me is a believer, the other quarter is a sceptic.

[dstgolf]

Ian,

I know what you are saying about not classic Pauillac and I agree it's far from but it still turns Danielle's crank and puts a smile on her face when I bring a bottle upstairs every time. I've thoroughly enjoyed the 03's and 04's. The 2000 is stunning right now and the 01 falls behind a notch or three. Yes the 96 which was the first vintage I jumped on at a bargain cost back then and was much more classic in its form. I still have a soft spot for the wine for sure and there certainly have been some great BWE memories made on both sides of the pond with this one.

[Claudius2]

Guys
So far I have consumed 11 bottles of the 2003 PC and whenever I have tried it the wine showed so much inconsistency that I gave up in frustration. I have one lone bottle left which I was going to bring it to the 2020 Event which was unfortunately crashed by COVID.

Recent tastings of the 2010 and 2019 changed my rather jaundiced view of PC and maybe I should not have seen the rather bizarre 2003 as representative of the estate. Oh well.

I simply cannot appreciate wines from these extreme years and I was in Europe for three months in 2003, partly as a sabbatical to recover from a few internal operations. Even in September it was still hot and I recall weather of 47C at Pauillac in August (about 117F) and seriously, I am amazed that anything vaguely drinkable was made that vintage.