2004 Pontet-Canet Bordeaux Blend - France - Bordeaux - Pauillac - Red - Fifth Growth

unbelievably sweet, complex, powerful -- perfection. ready to drink but many years left.

I was expecting more from Pontet Canet at this price (USD 60) in spite of the vintage. Still young thoug, it tastes like a light-weight Pauillac in my view. Try again next year.

From halfbottle. After opening up, which requires at least an hour of caraffe-time, this shows ripe plum and cherry fruits of the sweeter kind and definite wood notes. Not complex at this stage but very attractive nontheless. Palate brings good attack of cassis and cherry. Very fresh and not without elegance. Clearly young and primary with most aromas of fruit but not too young to enjoy. Lacking in length still. Very good aging potential. A lot happening in glass and caraffe.

Full-bodied with dark fruits of berries and currant. Well balanced with good tannin and acidity to pamper your palate with velvety smooth texture. Still a bit early even with 2+ hours of decanting but watch out in couple of years. Very good value for the money.

In a lineup of 10 PC wines, the 2004 acquits itself with respect. It is the most closed of the night (along with the 2006), but the full-bodied, tannic and acidic profile is in balance, and will track along a nice, predictable track. A hint of lushness is welcome here. Nice finish. Great for the vintage, and still a good value. Hold.

Still very young but everything is there to make it a great wine in several years. Had a 375ml at a restaurant so didn't have time to decant. Definitely could have used it though. Classic pauillac. Black fruit and chocolate. Great value too.

Big & sweet; tough; dense; clamped on finish. This ends with a very cool crème-de-mûre note that reminds me of the '02. The extreme density of this wine reminds me of the '04 Pavie. It feels like it needs a lot of age.