Pauillac

Chateau Pontet Canet is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.

Jean Francois Pontet Royal Master of the Horse in the early 18th Century bought and consolidated several plots of land located northwest of Pauillac. Several years later in 1750 his descendants bought neighboring vineyards in an area named Canet thus creating one of the largest estates in the entire Medoc. Chateau Pontet-Canet's topography and soil predestined it to produce great wine. In 1865 the noted wine shipper Hermann Cruse acquired the chateau and its 120 hectares of vones. The Cruse dynasty provided the financial means to make one of the greatest wines in the Medoc. In 1975 Guy Tesseron solidly implanted in the Cognac region and owner of Lafon Rochet in St-Estephe purchsed Pontet-Canet. The family's avowed ambition is to pass on the history of Chateau Pontet-Canet and secure its future. Today it is Guy Tesseron’s descendants who own the estate today: Alfred and his nieces Mélanie and Philippine daughters of his late brother Gérard. Together they have the same outlook. Alfred shares his vision of the estate with Mélanie passing on to her its traditions his outlook on vinegrowing and his passion for wine. In 2004 the year of the first biodynamic trial which took place on 14 hectares the wines were radiant tighter and brighter. Alfred urged Jean-Michel to go further. The estate was fully converted to biodynamic agriculture. This decision became a commitment and a challenge but also a first for a Médoc Classified Growth. Since then with each vintage comes new knowledge furthering the understanding of the terroir in a profound way. The vine’s resistance to disease is better known today the understanding of how different parcels behave has improved always in keeping with biodynamic principles. It requires sincerity pragmatism and transparency: in a nutshell absolute dedication. The wines of Chateau Pontet-Canet obtained organic certification from Ecocert and biodynamic certification from Biodyvin in 2010 and from Demeter in 2014. A shared state of mind and a particular sensitivity are the key factors which have propelled Chateau Pontet-Canet to the summit of Bordeaux wines in recent years. They are the expression of the Tesseron family’s quiet determination to ensure continuity over the long term.

In 2016, there were two main trends in the weather as we experienced it in Pauillac: – a very wet winter and spring: more than half of the annual rainfall came in the first four months of the year, including a record 240 mm in January; – an extremely dry summer and autumn without any significant rainfall, resulting in a water deficit at the end of the year. As a consequence of the summer drought, the grapes were numerous but remained rather small, making for density and concentration. High temperatures in August and September allowed for slow ripening and excellent maturity, so that the harvest started with the Merlot on 26 September and continued in perfect conditions until 14 October. In the vat house, each grape variety and each plot were, as usual, vinified separately in order to let their intrinsic character shine through. The wines, which have now been blended, offer remarkable colour, intense fruit and spice aromas and a dense texture of very rich and well-rounded tannins. Its density and substance make the 2016 vintage comparable with the finest so far this century.

Aging in 55% new French oak barrels, 35% in amphora and the remainder of wine in one-year old casks.