Château Pontet-Canet

Château Pontet-Canet - at the pulse of Bordeaux history

Château Pontet Canet is located in the famous commune of Pauillac on the Médoc peninsula in Bordeaux. It is located here in the neighborhood of big names like Château Mouton-Rothschild. The estate is run by the Tesseron family. It has been classified as Cinquième Grand Cru since the 1855 classification of Bordeaux estates.

The history of Château Pontet Canet canbe traced back to the Middle Ages, but the viticulture demonstrably begins with the planting of the first vineyards by Jacques de Ségur, the grandfather of the "wine prince" Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur, who had a lasting influence on the history of viticulture in Bordeaux. Around 1717, the Pontet family finally acquired the estate from the Ségurs. The descendants of this family later bought another property with the name Canet. This is how the present name of Pontet-Canet was born.

Decline and revival

Subsequently, the estate became the property of the Cruse merchant house. The owner carried out modernizations on the estate. However, his successors missed the investments in the time after the Second World War, so that the quality decreased. After a scandal, where vineyards of another estate were used for the Pontet-Canet wines, Cruse separated from the vineyards. This is where the Tesserons come in. With investments and the help of star oenologist Émile Peynaud, the reputation of the battered estate was polished up and brought to the level of a Grand Cru Classé. Today, it is advised by the oenologist Michel Rolland.

The terroir of Château Pontet Canet

About 120 hectares belong to Château Pontet-Canet today, of which about 80 are used for viticulture. The soils here are gravelly and sandy, which ensures good water drainage. As is so typical of Bordeaux, the main grape varieties grown are:

• Cabernet Sauvignon (60%)
• Merlot (33%)
• Cabernet Franc (5%)
• Petit Verdot (2%)

The vines are on average 35 years old and the planting density is 9000 vines/ha. The estate has focused on biodynamic farming and in 2010 became the first major Bordeaux winery to receive certification from the Agence Bio. For example, at Château Pontet-Canet, almost no tractors are used in the vineyards anymore, but horses. Hand harvesting is also a matter of course in an estate of this class, and there is also a follow-up control.

In the cellar of Château Pontet Canet

The maceration for the wines of Pontet-Canet lasts four weeks before they are transferred to barrels. Since 2012, the estate has had special amphora-like ceramic tanks, which were developed especially for the estate. The duration for the subsequent maturation period is 16 - 20 weeks, a typical length for a real Bordeaux. Approximately 60% of the barriques are renewed every year. In line with the organic philosophy, Pontet-Canet does not filter or clarify the wine. Besides the main wine, a second wine called Les Hauts de Pontet is produced.