Chateau Pontet Canet
In 1705, Jean-François de Pontet, who was the Governor of the Médoc, purchased some land near the village of Pauillac (Bordeaux) and planted some vines. Some years later, he also acquired some parcels in Canet and added these to his property. He added his own name to that of his land to give his estate more glamour which was quite common at that time.
In 1855, Château Pontet Canet was classified as one of the 18 5th Growths of the Official Classification of Bordeaux. In 1865, the estate was purchased by Herman Cruse and Château Pontet Canet remained in thye family until 1975. Then, Cognac merchant Guy Tesseron acquired the Château and nowadays, his family is still in control of the estate.
At present, Château Pontet Canet covers 120 Ha, of which 81 Ha are under vine. The grape varieties used are: Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (2%) and the average age of the vines is 40 -45 years. The viticulture is based on (certified) organic and biodynamic principles and harvesting is done by hand according to a severe selection. The wine is aged for up to 20 months in oak barrels of which 60% is new.
Only in 1972 the wines were château bottled, before that time, the wine was sold to merchants. In 1982, they introduced their second wine, named “Les Hauts de Pontet”. Since 2005, Château Pontet Canet outperforms his status as a 5th Growth and the wines are scaled as “Super Seconds”.
Top vintages for the “Grand Vin” are: 1959, 1961, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2016.
Read more