The 2010 Château Pontet-Canet is a monumental and highly coveted Pauillac, widely regarded as one of the greatest wines ever produced by the estate. Classified as a Fifth Growth but performing at First Growth level, Pontet-Canet has, under the stewardship of Alfred Tesseron, become a benchmark for biodynamic viticulture and meticulous, terroir-driven winemaking in Bordeaux. The 2010 vintage stands at the pinnacle of this era — powerful, pure and built for generations.
The growing season in 2010 was marked by low yields, dry conditions and exceptional diurnal shifts. These factors favoured small berries with thick skins, superb tannin maturity and remarkable concentration. It was a vintage that produced wines of immense structure, energy and precision across Pauillac—and Pontet-Canet excelled.
The bouquet is intense and layered, opening with classic aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, graphite and cassis. Notes of violets, cedar, cigar box, crushed stone, mocha and warm spices emerge with aeration. The wine’s biodynamic origins reveal themselves in its aromatic purity and mineral tension.
On the palate, the 2010 Pontet-Canet is full-bodied, dense and incredibly refined. Ripe black fruit intensity is supported by a framework of profound yet polished tannins — broad, firm and architectural. The mid-palate is layered with flavours of plum, blackberry, licorice, cocoa, pencil shavings and savoury earth. A vibrant core of acidity keeps the wine balanced and focused, leading to an exceptionally long, powerful and harmonious finish.
Entering its prime but with decades of life ahead, this wine is a reference point not only for Pontet-Canet, but for modern Bordeaux. It remains one of the most celebrated wines of the vintage.
Region: Pauillac, Bordeaux
Classification: 5ème Grand Cru Classé
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot
Alcohol: ~14.5%
Drinking Window: Now – 2060+
A spectacular, age-worthy Pauillac of immense purity, precision and gravitas — one of the truly great Château Pontet-Canet wines of the modern era.
