1982 Pontet Canet

Tasted at the Pontet-Canet vertical in London—to be frank, I have never been a fan of the 1982 Chateau Pontet-Canet—this wine is a testament to how far the estate has traveled under Alfred Tesseron and Jean-Michel Comme. It is a long way behind its peers. Now it has a dry, rather skeletal bouquet with a disagreeable dustiness. You can hear the slam of the door...that's the last of the fruit exiting. The palate is now dominated by dry tannins. There is a hole where the 1982 fruit ought to be (and it was there a decade ago), although there is a modicum of redeeming freshness towards the finish. Your safest bet is to drink any bottles remaining, and load up on a more recent and superior vintage. Tasted February 2016. Jul 2016, www.robertparker.com

Neal Martin    Score: 86/100