Château Cantin: Vineyards
The Château Cantin estate is located in the commune of St Christophe des Bardes, at the eastern periphery of the St Emilion appellation. It is not quite the most peripheral estate in the appellation, although it comes close. To the east and north the vineyards run down to the two interconnected ponds (pictured below) mentioned in my introduction. Just beyond the water to the north is the course of the Barbanne which defines the limit of the St Emilion appellation. Near neighbours include Château Puy-Blanquet, Château Veyrac and Poesia; these names are not likely to be very familiar, although just a little further down the road, as close to the Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux appellation as it is possible to get, is Château Valandraud, a well-known estate under the direction of Jean-Luc Thunevin.
Today the estate boasts in total 33 hectares, although of this only 29 hectares are currently planted to the vine. This vineyard is divided into two large blocks, one on a plateau next to the château, and one behind it in a little valley around the Cantin. The valley can be challenging for the late ripeners, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, and so these vines have been replaced with Merlot.
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