1993 Pontet Canet

Readers should take note that the Tesseron family is making major efforts to rebuild the image of Pontet-Canet and establish it as one of the finest wines of the northern Medoc. Quality has soared since the 1994 vintage, but prices have not yet caught up with the "new" Pontet-Canet. However, this is not a forward, luscious, rich, sweet, fruity style of Pauillac (such as the charming Pichon-Lalande and Haut-Batailley), but rather, a dense, masculine, massively-styled wine meant for long-term cellaring. Among the least herbaceous of the 1993 non-first-growth Pauillacs, Pontet-Canet's offering reveals a subtle, tobacco, leafy component in its otherwise attractive, ripe, rich, cassis fruit. The wine is dark ruby/purple-colored, medium to full-bodied, dense, tannic, and potentially a long-lived example from the 1993 vintage. Although closed, it is well-made, pure, muscular, and large-sized for the 1993 vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2017. Feb 1997, www.robertparker.com