Les Hauts de Pontet Canet

Les Hauts de Pontet Canet

Classification: Second Wine of Chateau Pontet Canet
Chateau Pontet Canet has been making its second wine Les Hauts de Pontet Canet since 1982.  Château Pontet Canet is located in the heart of the Pauillac appellation, just south of  Châteaux Mouton Rothschild and d’Armailhac. It has the poor gravelly soil typical of the greatest vineyards. In fact, the soil has so much gravel and sand that it is difficult to imagine that anything could grow there at all. The 80-hectare estate is predominately planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, the signature variety for the great wines of Pauillac. This demanding grape is perfectly adapted to Pauillac's climate and soil.

Pontet Canet can trace its origins back to 1725. The Château takes its name from Jean-François de Pontet, Royal Master of the Horse and the then Governor of the Médoc who combined several vineyard plots in Pauillac in the early 18th century. Years later, his descendants added neighbouring vines in a place named Canet. This was the beginning of one of the largest estates in the Médoc.

In 1865 the Château was bought by Hermann Cruse, a shipper from Bordeaux.  Château Pontet Canet remained in the hands of the Cruse family for 100 years until another shipper (from Cognac this time), Guy Tesseron (who also owns Château Lafon Rochet in Saint Estephe) purchased it in 1975. This means that Pontet Canet has belonged to only 3 families in over 2 centuries. Quality has steadily climbed since the mid 1990's and Pontet Canet is now one of the rising stars of the Médoc.

Pontet Canet's terroir features rises of Garonne gravel on limestone bedrock. The soil is lean, warm, and well-drained. The 92 acre vineyard lies on Garonne gravel over a clay and limestone bedrock.  The grapes grown are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The château's wine growing philosophy is to intervene as little as possible and as naturally as possible in the vineyard. Only traditional viticultural and cultivation practices are used. Chemical weed killers are banned in keeping with environmental protection, and priority is given to the vine's long-term health.

The Tesseron's are committed to conserving the environment and for the first time in  40 years are using horse power  help cultivate the vines, in order to avoid compacting the soil. A major change is taking shape.  This isn’t anything to do with ‘going back in time’ but is more to do with a real bet on the Château's future. It's a real challenge that brings Pontet Canet closer to nature and enables them to go even further into their ideology of respecting their vines and terroir.  Combining old skills with new a new vat room was constructed in 2005.  The first of its kind in the Médoc, this vat room houses 32 truncated cone-shaped vats, each with a capacity of 80 hectolitres.

Wine Style
Les Hauts de Pontet Canet  is an intense ruby red with notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, vanilla, toast, wood and liquorice.  The wine is round and soft with well balanced tannins and full of finesse. 

Owner: Alfred and Michel Tesseron (also own Château Lafon Rochet)
Château Website: www.pontet-canet.com
Oenologist: J Boissenot/ M Rolland