99 points (19.5/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "The 2008 confirms its immense potential and achieves excellence. Vinous, sanguine, with dazzling fruit and unrivalled length, a revelation. (2013)"
96 points Robert Parker: "A candidate for the 'wine of the vintage,' Pontet Canet’s 2008 boasts an opaque purple color as well as copious aromas of sweet blueberries, blackberries and black currant fruit intertwined with lead pencil shavings, subtle barbecue smoke and a hint of forest floor. Full-bodied, with fabulous richness, texture and tremendous freshness, this first-growth-like effort is more developed than the uber-powerful 2010. Give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades. Bravo! (May 2011)"
96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Unquestionably one of the gems in the vintage is the 2008 Pontet-Canet, which reminds me of the 2005 with its concentrated, deep, powerful style. Beautiful dark fruits, graphite, obvious minerality, and classic Pauillac lead pencil notes all emerge from this still youthful, full-bodied, and pure 2008 that’s 4-5 years away from maturity and will keep for 30+ years. Hats off to Alfred Tesseron for another awesome wine that ranks up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Drink: 2021-2051. (2/28/19)"
95 points Decanter: "I love this! It's Pauillac distilled, flirting on the edge of ripeness with brambly cassis and dark chocolate. This is just the right mix of open and closed for me, layered and confident but not overdone. Feathery, well brushed tannins and generous black fruits. A great Pauillac which is just starting to rev its engine. Not as concentrated and long-living as in the ripest vintages, but it's a real success with decades ahead of it. Drink: 2018-2036. Alcohol 13.5%. (Jul 2018)"
95 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "Smooth, with dense tannins hidden behind the ripe, pure fruit, this important wine shows class and an impeccable balance of fruit and tannin. Rich as well as structured, this is a beautiful wine. (Apr 2011)"
94 points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black cherry, lavender, potpourri spices and graphite minerality; high-toned and slightly liqueur-like. Then dense, seamless and vibrant in the mouth, with firm acidity giving outstanding energy to the dark fruit, floral and mineral flavors. Really spreads out on the back end and stays a while. Brilliantly delineated, complex wine with superb cut and penetration. (Jul/Aug 2011)"
94 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "This is dark and quite brooding on the nose, with a slightly high-toned character, and a slightly smudged edge to the fruit which lacks a little aromatic precision as a result. The palate is broad, bold, with a confident textural seam of fruit, showing that same smudged dried-fruit character, as well as a robust bed of tannins;while impressive, it seems to lack a little definition and freshness, as suggested by the nose. A huge, imposing character to the finish, which is laden with tannins. This needs another five or even ten years if not more to really come around, by which time it could be remarkable, especially as that fruit character fades into a more evolved style. This is certainly one to hold off, for the moment. (Feb 2018)"
94 points James Suckling: "The minerality and floral character to this is really impressive with lots of bark, currant and dried rose character. Full body, chewy yet polished tannins and a mouthwatering finish. Made from biodynamcially grown grapes. Drink or hold. (6/16/16)"
96 points Robert Parker: "A candidate for the 'wine of the vintage,' Pontet Canet’s 2008 boasts an opaque purple color as well as copious aromas of sweet blueberries, blackberries and black currant fruit intertwined with lead pencil shavings, subtle barbecue smoke and a hint of forest floor. Full-bodied, with fabulous richness, texture and tremendous freshness, this first-growth-like effort is more developed than the uber-powerful 2010. Give it 5-8 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades. Bravo! (May 2011)"
96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Unquestionably one of the gems in the vintage is the 2008 Pontet-Canet, which reminds me of the 2005 with its concentrated, deep, powerful style. Beautiful dark fruits, graphite, obvious minerality, and classic Pauillac lead pencil notes all emerge from this still youthful, full-bodied, and pure 2008 that’s 4-5 years away from maturity and will keep for 30+ years. Hats off to Alfred Tesseron for another awesome wine that ranks up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Drink: 2021-2051. (2/28/19)"
95 points Decanter: "I love this! It's Pauillac distilled, flirting on the edge of ripeness with brambly cassis and dark chocolate. This is just the right mix of open and closed for me, layered and confident but not overdone. Feathery, well brushed tannins and generous black fruits. A great Pauillac which is just starting to rev its engine. Not as concentrated and long-living as in the ripest vintages, but it's a real success with decades ahead of it. Drink: 2018-2036. Alcohol 13.5%. (Jul 2018)"
95 points/'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "Smooth, with dense tannins hidden behind the ripe, pure fruit, this important wine shows class and an impeccable balance of fruit and tannin. Rich as well as structured, this is a beautiful wine. (Apr 2011)"
94 points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black cherry, lavender, potpourri spices and graphite minerality; high-toned and slightly liqueur-like. Then dense, seamless and vibrant in the mouth, with firm acidity giving outstanding energy to the dark fruit, floral and mineral flavors. Really spreads out on the back end and stays a while. Brilliantly delineated, complex wine with superb cut and penetration. (Jul/Aug 2011)"
94 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "This is dark and quite brooding on the nose, with a slightly high-toned character, and a slightly smudged edge to the fruit which lacks a little aromatic precision as a result. The palate is broad, bold, with a confident textural seam of fruit, showing that same smudged dried-fruit character, as well as a robust bed of tannins;while impressive, it seems to lack a little definition and freshness, as suggested by the nose. A huge, imposing character to the finish, which is laden with tannins. This needs another five or even ten years if not more to really come around, by which time it could be remarkable, especially as that fruit character fades into a more evolved style. This is certainly one to hold off, for the moment. (Feb 2018)"
94 points James Suckling: "The minerality and floral character to this is really impressive with lots of bark, currant and dried rose character. Full body, chewy yet polished tannins and a mouthwatering finish. Made from biodynamcially grown grapes. Drink or hold. (6/16/16)"
| Product SKU | 316747 |
| Producer | Pontet-Canet |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| SubRegion | Left Bank |
| Appellation | Pauillac |
| Varietal | Cabernet/Bordeaux Blends |
| Vintage | 2008 |
| Size | 750ml |
| Color | Red |
| ABV | 13.0% |
| Ships To |
