Chateau Pontet-Canet

Château Pontet-Canet is a critically acclaimed wine estate located in the Pauillac appellation in the northern Bordeaux region of Médoc. The estate was classified as a Fifth Growth (5ème Cru) in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855, although in contemporary critical and popular circles, the estate is considered worthy of much higher status.

The Pontet-Canet estate may have taken longer than others to adopt modern methods. Tesseron Senior, the father of the current owner and an excellent old-school winemaker who spent years trying to increase vineyard yields, was not keen on the 'wasteful' discarding of entire bunches of grapes. He was finally convinced when the fantastic wine produced using the new methods garnered praise from enthusiastic critics.

His son and his team conducted rational analyses and extensive expert studies to improve the methods used in harvesting and processing grapes. The result was the innovation of using plastic containers specifically designed for handling and transporting grapes. Sorting takes place in a special room on the upper floor, which is large, well-lit, and perfectly ergonomically equipped. From there, the sorted grapes are sent by conveyor to one of three different vats—wooden, concrete, or stainless steel. The winery has recently been enhanced with a new yard, the third in order, for processing and storing wine. The quality of the technical equipment here is complemented by the genuine beauty of the vast storage cellars. The vineyard covers 81 hectares in the heart of the Pauillac appellation.

The soil consists of gravel over a limestone base. The composition of the vine plants is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.