1990 was a monster vintage in Bordeaux, but especially in Pauillac-St.Estephe-St.Julien... This was one of the vintages that helped put Pontet-Canet back on the map -- after 21 years this wine is still relatively tightly-wound and it has a long life ahead. The acids are high and the dense black fruit is approaching maturity but not there yet... Pontet-Canet sometimes has descriptors like "tar" and "rubber" attached to it, and traces of those elements are here too -- but they're far in the background. This wine will likely last another 20-30 years without difficulty.
I enjoyed the bottle with my friend Kevin Gottesman at Bourbon Steak, Michael Mina's high-end steakhouse off Union Square in San Francisco. $120 (retail); 93 points
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