Château Pontet Canet 5eme Cru 1996

Parker: A classic Pauillac, the 1996 continues to flesh out, revealing an opaque purple color, and a magnificent creme de cassis nose reminiscent of the superb vintages of Mouton-Rothschild (Pontet-Canet's neighbor). The wine is full-bodied, as well as extraordinarily rich, ripe, and powerful, with layers of sweet black fruits intertwined with earth, minerals, and spicy oak. Massive on the palate, with lofty tannin, but equally high extract, this is a profound Pontet-Canet that may turn out to be even more classic and longer-lived than the 1995 and 1994. Terrific stuff! Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. The extraordinary effort that Alfred Tesseron is making at this property is reconfirmed with each new tasting note I write on Pontet-Canet. Having recently had the exceptionally impressive 1994 in several tastings, it is a pleasure to see this historic estate turning out wines that behave like super seconds rather than fifth-growths. 91-95/100