Château Potensac Vertical | 6er-Vertical Case

2006: 87 Punkte Medium red. Currant, tobacco and a rocky minerality on the nose. Supple on entry, then tight in the middle, with modest sweetness but a savory character and good vinosity. Finishes with firm tannic spine. Cellarmaster Bruno Rolland compared this young wine to the 1998.  - Stephen Tanzer (05/2008) 

2009:92 Punkte The 2009 Potensac has an attractive bouquet with blackberry, melted tar, black tea and graphite scents. Nicely defined it maybe a little conservative given the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity. Classic in style with fine graphite and cedar notes towards the finish. Enjoy this now and over the next decade. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.   - Neal Martin (02/2019)

2010: 91 Punkte The 2010 Potensac has a high-toned, airy bouquet with balsamic and Hoisin infusing the black fruit. The palate is well defined with supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. There is something just a little “Oriental” about the style of this Potensac that delivers impressive body and grip on the finish. Very fine. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the BI Wines & Spirits 10-Year On tasting.- Neal Martin (02/2020) 

2015: 90 Punkte The 2015 Potensac has a crisp, well-defined bouquet with blackberry, autumn leaves and light sandalwood aromas, just a touch of black tea in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with a gentle grip, quite harmonious but surprisingly punchy toward the pencil lead-tinged finish. This is a good solid Potensac. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.- Neal Martin (01/2019)

2016: 92 Punkte The 2016 Potensac has a ripe, pure-fruit-driven bouquet of black cherries and bilberry fruit, developing lovely floral aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe black fruit and fine mineralité. There is a subtle marine influence at play toward the finish, and a dash of white pepper on the aftertaste. Enjoyable. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.- Neal Martin (01/2020)

 2018: 89 Punkte The 2018 Potensac has an outgoing nose of wild strawberry and raspberry notes and touches of meat juices, a slight gaminess emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy, crisp tannins. Quite tight on the entry, it finds its groove in the second half, displaying commendable delineation and tension on the graphite-tinged, slightly austere finish. Fine.  - Neal Martin (01/2021)

2009: 92 Punkte Maybe this isn't quite as stunning as the brilliant 2010 Potensac, but it’s a ripe and very classic Médoc with great cassis fruit, medium body and supple tannins making for a very flexible food wine. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019) (02/2019)

 2010: 88 Punkte A little lean but very good plum, currant and berries character. Full to medium body, with integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Better in 2015. (07/2014)

 2015: 92 Punkte A little lean but very good plum, currant and berries character. Full to medium body, with integrated tannins and a fresh finish. Better in 2015. (02/2018) 

2016: 94 Punkte Suave aromas of cedar and fresh red flowers with a thread of ripe red berries and blackcurrants, mulberries, coal smoke and cool stones. The palate delivers a wealth of rich red-fruit flavors, framed in sleek tannins that build with precision and length. A class act. One of the best from here in the modern era. Try from 2023. (01/2019) 

2018: 94 Punkte Fruity nose of blackcurrant and blueberry with sage and vanilla. It’s full-bodied with firm tannins. Savory and juicy with pleasant acidity. Compact and long. Racy. 45% merlot, 36% cabernet sauvignon,18% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Try after 2023. (01/2021)

2009: 91 Punkte Drinking at point now, but with another decade of life ahead of it, the 2009 Château Potensac offers a classic, mature nose of red and black currants, cedary herbs, tobacco, and flowers. It shows the ripe, powerful style of the vintage yet has remarkable freshness, ripe, polished tannins, a kick of minerality, and a great finish. Beautifully done, you'll be happy if you have bottles of this in the cellar. (11/2020)

 2015: 88 Punkte The 2015 Potensac comes from vines near the northern edge of Saint-Estèphe and is 45% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17% Cabernet Franc. It’s a rock-solid, medium-bodied, classic Potensac offering notes of black cherries, underbrush, violets and even a hint of peppery herbs. With medium-bodied richness, juicy acidity and fine, nicely integrated tannin, it’s a classic 2015 to drink over the coming 10-15 years. (11/2017) 

2016: 91 Punkte Another sleeper is the 2016 Château de Potensac, which is 44% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all aged 14 months in 30% new French oak. This beauty is upfront and ready to go, with a dark, rich bouquet of currants, unsmoked tobacco, graphite, and earth. With beautiful concentration and a layered, elegant texture, it’s one of those wines that has ample upfront appeal yet will keep for 15+ years. (02/2019) 

2018: 93 Punkte The Grand Vin 2018 Château Potensac (45% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, and the balance Petit Verdot) sports a deeper purple, almost opaque hue to go with lots of ripe black cherry and currant-like fruits intermixed with notes of toasty oak, tobacco, graphite, and earth. Richer and more concentrated than the Chapelle de Potensac release, with full-bodied richness and building tannins, it's going to benefit from a solid 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for 15+. (03/2021)

2006: 86 Punkte Firm and silky, with berry, currant and cherry character. Medium-bodied, with a clean finish. Best after 2010. (03/2009) 

2009: 87 Punkte Plump, tender texture carries lively fruit flavors of wild cherry, strawberry and cassis in this lively red. Notes of fresh herb and licorice add interest. Modestly structured, with fresh acidity and just enough tannins for grip. Drink now through 2019. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.- Thomas Matthews (03/2012)

 2010: 90 Punkte Solid, if a bit chunky, with cocoa and ganache coating a core of black currant and blackberry fruit that hangs through the muscular finish, where a warm paving stone note rings out. A touch austere, but the stuffing is there for cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2020. -J.M. (03/2013) 

2015: 90 Punkte Pepper, savory and bay leaf notes lead the way, with a core of medium-weight cassis and cherry flavors. A tobacco hint and chalky minerality extend the finish, which has a pleasant austerity. A touch reticent in style, but will age well. Best from 2020 through 2028. 23,750 cases made. - J.M. (03/2018) 

2016: 89 Punkte Open-knit, with a mix of bramble, sweet tobacco and steeped red and black currant fruit flavors. A lightly roasted apple wood note and a flash of iron check in on the finish, adding spine. Drink now through 2029. -J.M. (2019) 

2018: 88 Punkte Damson plum, cherry and savory notes meld together nicely, set against a backdrop of light cedar and sanguine accents on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2026. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. -J.M. (2021)

2006: 87 Punkte Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Potensac has a conservative bouquet, yet one that is nicely detailed with cedar-infused red berry fruit that has a pleasing brightness. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannin, well-judged acidity and yet it would have benefit from more flesh towards the finish, which tapers in slightly. Tasted January 2016.- Neal Martin (05/2016) 

2009: 89 Punkte Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Potensac features warm redcurrants, black raspberries, dusty earth and dried Mediterranean herbs scents with a touch of cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, juicy and plush with nice freshness, it is sitting in a drinking window sweet-spot right now.- Lisa Perrotti-Brown (03/2019) 

2010: 87 Punkte Deep garnet colored, the 2010 Potensac features notes of baked red and black cherries, mulberries and leather with wafts of dried herbs and charcuterie. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a chewy texture and tons of freshness giving the red and black fruit a boost on the finish. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (05/2020) 

2015: 89-91 Punkte The 2015 Potensac is a blend of 45% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc that was cropped at 50 hl/ha, and raised in one-third new oak. There is a sense of airiness on the nose: small dark cherries, crème de cassis and crushed strawberry, pretty and nicely focused. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannin, fresh and citrus in style, just a touch of reduction towards the finish, but they will blow off by the time it is in bottle. I would have just preferred more persistence on the finish, but otherwise this is a decent Potensac. - Neal Martin (04/2016) 

2016: 91+ Punkte Is the 2016 Potensac this estate's finest vintage to date? Certainly, its compelling bouquet of cassis and pencil shavings and it's seamless, beautifully balanced palate make a strong case. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with beautifully refined tannins, lively acids and a long, penetrating finish, this is built to age with style, yet it is also quite accessible at this early stage for a young Potensac.- William Kelley (08/2022) 

2018: 90 Punkte The 2018 Potensac is composed of 45% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine has 14.42% alcohol and was aged in 35% new barriques. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls out of the glass with open-knit scents of ripe, juicy black plums, boysenberries, redcurrant jelly and cassis, plus hints of dried Provence herbs, cinnamon stick and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of lively black and red berry layers, supported by soft tannins and a racy line, finishing with a lively skip in its step.  - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (03/2021)