The vineyards of Pontet-Canet are not difficult to spot; examine any map of the Médoc and you will find, lying just northwest of the town of Pauillac itself, a large conglomeration of Rothschild vineyards which include Chateau Duhart-Milon, Chateau Clerc-Milon and Chateau d'Armailhac - not to mention the Premier Cru Classés Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. These are illustrious neighbours for the Tesserons, who own the great swathe of vineyards directly to the south, in a prime position on the plateau of Pauillac, on typical soils of Quaternary gravel over clay and limestone.
The estate has 120 ha, including 80 ha of vineyards in all, planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The average age of the vines is 35 years.
Once harvested, the wine goes into temperature-controlled fermentation, before up to 20 months in oak, of which 60% is replaced each vintage, all under the watchful eye of Jean-Michel Colome (pictured). The wine is fined with egg white before bottling. The grand vin is Chateau Pontet-Canet, of which there are about 20000 cases produced per annum.
