772 | Wine | Bordeaux, Pauillac

"This is a stunning, pure, classic Pontet-Canet. Deep purple to the rim with a glorious nose of scorched earth, black currant jam, smoke, licorice, and roasted meats, it is full-bodied, incredibly powerful, dense, with low acidity but high tannin, broad-shouldered, and savory." -Robert Parker

"Aromas of blackberries, unsmoked cigar tobacco and cedar/sagebrush jump from the glass of this dense purple-hued Pauillac. Full-bodied with more depth and richness than usual as well as moderate tannins, this potential sleeper of the vintage offers 15-20 years of aging potential. Moreover, it is modestly priced. Purchasers should give it 4-5 years of cellaring and enjoy it over the following two decades."-Robert Parker

"Very pretty aromas of crushed fruit, with raspberry and blackberry character. Full-bodied, yet fine and silky, with a long, delicious finish. Very balanced red. I can't remember tasting a better Lynch-Moussas."

"An amazing wine in every sense, this classic, full-bodied Pauillac is the quintessential Pontet Canet from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, who continues to reduce yields and farms his vineyards biodynamically – a rarity in Bordeaux. Black as a moonless night, the 2009 Pontet Canet offers up notes of incense, graphite, smoke, licorice, creme de cassis and blackberries. A wine of irrefutable purity, laser-like precision, colossal weight and richness, and sensational freshness, this is a tour de force in winemaking that is capable of lasting 50 or more years. The tannins are elevated, but they are sweet and beautifully integrated as are the acidity, wood and alcohol (which must be in excess of 14%). This vineyard, which is situated on the high plateau of Pauillac adjacent to Mouton Rothschild, appears to have done everything perfectly in 2009. This cuvee should shut down in the cellar and re-open in a decade or more. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2075."-Robert Parker

"This enormously endowed, modern day classic is a legend in the making. ...The 2006 is a wine to stockpile, especially for those in their thirties and forties as it needs another decade to reach maturity, after which it should keep for 30+ years. This vineyard, just south of Mouton Rothschild, has produced an opaque bluish/purple-colored 2006 with an extraordinarily pure nose of graphite, charcoal, sweet creme de cassis, and a hint of scorched earth. Incredible concentration, stunning richness, and a 60-second finish result in a wine that transcends the vintage as well as this estate’s 1855 classification." Reviewed by Robert Parker, 95+ pts.

"One of the best efforts from this estate since the 1982, this wine remains fairly priced. It exhibits ripe blue and black fruits, a dense plum/purple color, good acidity buttressing a remarkably rich, fleshy, sumptuous texture, and oodles of smoky black currant and blueberry fruit. Ripe, heady and rich, this wine will probably benefit from 2-5 years of cellaring despite its precociousness and keep for two decades." -Robert Parker

"Dense purple, with classic notes of cedar and lead pencil shavings as well as gobs of back currants and licorice, the wine has a full-bodied mouthfeel with fabulous precision and density. It also possesses a long, silky finish with moderately high tannins, but they are ripe and well-integrated. The wood is clearly pushed to the background in this dense, full-bodied Pauillac, which should drink beautifully for 30+ years." -Robert Parker

This wine was named #93 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2012.

"Tight and backward, this has dense, almost chewy layers of fig, currant and plum cake behind a very solid wall of cedar, roasted vanilla and charcoal notes. There's serious grip on the finish, with an iron edge that won't quit."

"There's lots of currant and blackberry in this, with hints of sandalwood. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins that turn chewy, but also a solid core of fruit underneath, with new wood. Structured and serious."

"The second wine of Pichon Baron, the Les Tourelles de Longueville, is the best second effort I have tasted from this estate. An equal part blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine is very seductive, with loads of black fruits, an almost caramelized note, low acidity and voluptuous texture."-Robert Parker.