Conrad Green

9.3

Beautiful fresh pears and wet stone with light floral notes and a beautiful balance. Amazing. — 11 days ago

jesus g

Hospitality Schramsberg Vineyards

9.2

big white burger weekend — a month ago

K L

9.1

Very oaky almost sweet like it’s aged too long. — 2 months ago

with Matt

K L

9.0

Pleasantly surprised. Still dusty but good. A bit tanic. — 4 months ago

with Matt

John Jaye

9.2

Excellent drink. Needs to be decanted even at 25 years old. Drink now — 6 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.2

Liked the 2014 even better. This is less earthy. Lime, black forest herbs hard to describe. Raspberry, Oregano, Cherry .🍒 crushed rock - drink up! — 10 months ago

K L

9.2

Deep and earthy. Drinking ok but could still use more time. — 5 years ago

with Matt

Ron Siegel

9.3

Magnum that was fresh showing the classic LB style with red & black fruits, currant, cedar, leather, forest floor, dried herbs & tobacco. — 5 years ago

JKT

9.0

Delicious, well balanced on the richer but still acidic side with long finish. Caught it in a good window of 11 years I think — a month ago

Inseon Hwang

9.7

1976. Deep into the tertiary. Tobacco, forest leaves and minerals. Still some light red berry and cherry. — 21 days ago

Inseon Hwang

9.6

Deep garnet, dark fruit - plum, black cherries, blackberries. Organic forest floor, some river stones, mushroom. Slight tobacco. — 2 months ago

K L

9.3

Very good but better when we decant. This one isn’t my favorite m liked. Deeper fruit. Dark. — 5 months ago

with Matt

Ericsson

9.7

Yes—exactly that kind of wine: timeless, composed, and quietly authoritative.

It smells so good on first pour. Damp pine forest floor and clean mountain air register immediately. Everything else unravels from there; but that initial pop-and-pour sniff is pure magic.

On the palate, blackcurrant, cedar, graphite, and dried herbs unfold with control, carried by freshness and finely etched tannins in a medium body.

So classic, so intellectual, and deeply mesmerizing. Drink now or age. — 6 months ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.3

Worried about the light, “thin” first impressions… but never fear. No Brett..round and fruit forward… resolved tannins…a teeny bit missing acid, but a superb foil for Scottish Chateaubriand on this cold Edinburg evening. Juicy cherry with a hint of forest floor. One of the “good” bottles of older Beaucastel. — 4 years ago

K L

9.2

Solid and definitely needed the aerator but aging well. Will be excellent in a few years. Deep and earthy. Lots of dark fruit. — 5 years ago

with Matt

K L

9.2

Good but still not the best of these options. — a month ago

with Matt

Lauren Young

9.0

Delicious with porterhouse — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Double decant and pour(lots of fine sediment). A striking still dark purplish garnet color with bricking. On the nose: Alluring perfumed notes of red/blue fruit, smoked meat, tobacco, vanilla, eucalyptus, wet forest floor, cloves. Taste: silky, old school restraint, elegant wine with some red fruit, leather, earth, dried herbs, tobacco, and a medium spiced smokey wood finish. Did not wow, but still a pleasure to drink at 38 years. — 2 months ago

with Brenda

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I’ve had a number of PC 96’s over time, none quite this good. The fill line & cork perfect. Very little sediment. Some bottle neck tannin burn. For me, Pontet Canet didn’t really hit its consistent, quality stride until 2005. Doesn’t mean they didn’t make a few beauties before then. Pontet Canet is proof that the 1855 Bordeaux Classification needs to be redone. Unlikely it will in my lifetime.

This 96 maybe just short of its precipice. Stylistically a little better than 94.

The nose reminds me of everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola. Sweet forest floor w/ leaves, sweet mushrooms, sweet led pencil shavings, steeped tea w/ hints of fruit, charcoal, dry tobacco/leather, some dry herbs, withering dark, red flowers, red roses with violets.

The palate is also everything I love about older Bordeaux. Dark core of currants/cassis. Ripe, floral; blackberries, dark, baked cherries, sweet, black plum, poached/strawberries, raspberries, hints of baked rhubarb & blueberries, mixed berry cola/red vines. Everything I understood the first time standing in the estate vineyard of Pichon Baron. Tasting limestone, dry river stone, dark, rich soils with dry leaves, dry stems. In fact, I’ve tasted vineyards soils everywhere I have been in every world wine region. Basically, everywhere in the wine world that has reliance. Many multiple times. Sweet graphite, steeped tea w/ hints of dark fruit, understated, layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanillin, dark cocoa, dark exotic spices, some anise to black licorice, charcoal, dry tobacco with ash/leather, some dry herbs-safe/bay leaf, limestone, dry river stone, dry crushed rocks, dark, rich, earth with dry leaves, dry topsoils, dry stems, withering/dry dark, red flowers, red roses with violets, excellent, rainfall acidity with an extremely well balanced/structured/tensioned, great length and an elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls nicely on dry earth and dark spices.

A very, very slow roll with my Ribcap. Definitely better with the steak than on its own.

This bottle tells me this 96 has plenty of good drinking ahead, another 8-10 yrs+.

ABV is 13%. Disappointing it ever changed. — 5 months ago

Jeffrey Ritterson

9.2

Nose: dusty. Cedar. Light leather. Boysenberry, cherries. Plum. Pencil shavings. Taste: rich plum, Smokey oak, cedar, dark chocolate, coffee finish. Some herbaceous notes. Cherry. Smooth but rich. Med+ body, medium acid and tannin, dry. Me likey. — 5 years ago