Grape Wine Journey

Ch Pontet Canet

A 5-course dinner at H-One accompanied by 10 vintages of Chateau Pontet Canet with a finishing touch of a glass of Cognac Tesseron.  All the wines were direct from the Chateau and the owner Monsieur Alfred Tesseron was in town to host the dinner.

Chateau Pontet Canet, a fifth growth from Bordeaux which I visited last summer with my husband.  The tour included a lunch at the Chateau and Monsieur Alfred Tesseron also hosted the lunch at the Chateau’s dining room.

Monsieur Tesseron

I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet Monsieur Tesseron again in my home town.  I asked him why the 10 vintages and the sequence of tasting.  His explanation went back to the history of the Chateau and how he made a mark for a Fifth Growth surrounded by First Growths in Bordeaux.

The tastings started with the oldest vintage, moving to the most recent:

1990, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

The sequence of tastings was an experience to taste the subtle change in the style of the wine.  Monsieur Tesseron started green harvest at the vineyard in 1990, it was a long process but he strongly believed this was the right approach to make better wine. 

The 2 vintages prior to 2000 were definitely very different; they showed more mineral than fruit.  The 2 outstanding vintages – 2000 and 2005 – still need time to mature.  2001 and 2003 were ready to drink now and matched well with the food.

The 2007 vintage, supposedly  the worst vintage in this millennium, it tasted very light on the palate in a sense that it seemed to be watered down.  Monsieur Tesseron made a joke on the vintage, what went wrong was the price.

The final touch was a glass of Cognac Tesseron to serve with the cheese platter.  The Tesseron family started the business in the Cognac region and bought Chateau Pontet Canet in the early 70’s.  I guess it’s not hard to understand the reason for Monsieur Tesseron to bring a few bottles of the Cognac to share with the guests.

Cognac Tesseron

To complete my collection of wine bottles, I took a bottle of the Cognac and asked for Monsieur Tesseron’s autograph.  Well, because it has the family name!