Chateau Pontet-Canet 5eme Cru Classe, Pauillac 2000

A serious, nuanced, classic Pauillac, the 2000 Château Pontet-Canet is based on 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc that was brought up in 50% new oak barrels, 35% in concrete amphorae, and 15% in one-wine oak barrels. Showing a touch of maturity with its ripe blackcurrant, leather, truffly earth, graphite, and smoky nuances on the nose, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a pure, graceful, balanced mouthfeel, nicely resolved yet still present tannins, and outstanding length. It's complex, nuanced, and ready to go, yet will clearly hold here nicely for another two decades or so given its tannins and acidity. Drink 2026-2046.

(-) Deep red-ruby. Explosive nose combines raspberry, roasted currant, grilled nuts and exotic spices. Rich, sexy, silky and full in the mouth, with expressive flavors of black raspberry, game, smoke and truffle. Finishes with strong but suave tannins and excellent length. St. Julien

Tasted at the Pontet-Canet vertical, the 2000 Château Pontet-Canet is perhaps where things start getting interesting, as Alfred Tesseron's top-to-toe reconfiguration of the vineyard and vinification began to impact and ameliorate the wine. It has a lovely bouquet of blackberry and briary fruit, hints of black truffle developing, later damp earth. There is an intensity here, if not the complexity of the best millennial Pauillacs. The palate is medium-bodied with a mixture of red and black fruit, cedar and sous-bois percolating up through and rendering it a serious Pontet-Canet in keeping with the vintage. There is a subtle and yet insistent grip on the finish. It has always been a tannic wine, but these are now softening, albeit at a slower pace than some might like. Therefore, I might be inclined to hold on to bottles for another 3-4 years. Tasted February 2016.