TN: Good in Great (Grand Pontet 1998)

[Rieslingfan]

Last night I had the opportunity to drink a wine from a good producer-Grand Pontet-in a great vintage for St. Emilion, 1998. A local retailer was able to bring in a substantial quantity of this wine last fall, direct from Bordeaux, and it's available for a reasonable price considering its age and provenance.

While by no means at peak (there's still a lot of tannin & the fruit to back it up) the wine is drinking very well, and would be a fantastic partner to a beef roast for a late winter meal. It has some blossoming secondary aromas and flavors (cedar and shoe polish were two things that just jumped out at me despite my somewhat stuffed up condition), and good length on the palate. It's warm (but not alcoholic) and inviting, and looks to be good for many years to come. It's a great option for someone who does not want to or cannot cellar some wine, but I think will reward those who do.

$49.99 retail, which I think is fair given the age and very fine provenance.

[DavidG]

Sounds very good, David. I'd spring for some at that price if it were locally available.

[JimHow]

I don't believe I've ever had this wine from any vintage. I bought a couple bottles of the RMP94-rated 2005 vintage for $45 apiece from Premier Cru, that sounded like a reasonable price for an RMP94 from the 2005 vintage.

[Rieslingfan]

The 2005 is $44.99 from the same store that has this '98. I would never buy a bunch of the '98, but the extra $5 seems worth it if you want to try a more mature vintage.