I was shocked by how backward the 1996 Pontet-Canet was on the three occasions I tasted it in January. This wine possesses superb potential, but it appears a decade's worth of patience will be necessary. The color is a saturated dark purple. With coaxing, the wine offers aromas of black currant jam intertwined with minerals, sweet oak, and spice. A full-bodied wine, it possesses layered, concentrated, sweet fruit, with an elevated level of ripe tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2035.

Saturated deep ruby color. Explosive, superripe aromas of black raspberry, lead pencil and sweet oak. Velvety-sweet and pungently oaky in the mouth, with a firm supporting spine of acidity giving the wine a vibrant, sappy quality. Finishes very long, with substantial but lush tannins. Potentially the finest vintage yet from this estate. This wine will be bottled with alcohol in the 13% range, says Tesseron, who points out that only minimal chaptalization was called for in this exceptionally ripe year for Medoc cabernet.

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s Pontet-Canet dinner at The Ledbury. The 1996 has that classic Pauillac nose of cedar and graphite, here showing signs of chestnut, savouriness that I have not noticed before. The palate is well balanced but certainly not as cohesive or as ambitious as ensuing vintages. Just a touch of truffle now coming through on the savoury finish. Drink now-2015. Tasted February 2011.
--Wine Journal on erobertparker.com, 7th September 2011