Château Cantegril: Vineyards
The estate of Château Cantegril covers 22 hectares and is situated on the plateau of Haut-Barsac, the more southerly part of the appellation, lying very close to Château Caillou and Château de Myrat. The soils are very typical of the region, with a sandy clay superficially, to a depth of about 80 centimetres, and beneath that there lies a deeper limestone bedrock. There are 18.3 hectares of vines on the estate, 65% Semillon and a rather prodigious 35% Sauvignon Blanc, planted at a density of 6,250 vines per hectare. The vineyard has an average age of 30 years.
Work in the vineyard is detailed and meticulous, as we might expect from an estate run by Bordeaux professor Denis Dubourdieu (pictured) and his family. This is a herbicide-free zone, and the use of chemical pesticides is being reduced. Much of the work, including leaf-plucking and bud removal is carried out by hand, leading Denis Dubourdieu to liken his work among the vines to gardening rather than viticulture, an analogy I have also heard made by Jacques Guinaudeau of when describing his practices at Château Lafleur. Although it is only fair to point out that the vineyard at Château Cantegril is four times the size of that at Lafleur.
