Clos Cantenac: Vineyards
As hinted in my introduction Clos Cantenac sits close to the banks of the Dordogne, sandwiched between the river and the D670, the road which runs along the foot of the St Emilion slopes, on the way out to Castillon-la-Bataille. Not that you would know it without investigating; I stood at the end of the vineyard and was, initially at least, entirely unaware of the broad river beyond the trees.
This is not a corner of St Emilion rich in famous names, so there are no notable neighbours to which I should draw your attention. Having said that the wines of Château Cantenac, which sits next to the main road just a few hundred metres away, do occasionally crop up when I am tasting in Bordeaux. And there are numerous vineyards dotted around this region which are in the possession of Jonathan Maltus, and which feed into the blend of Château Teyssier. Some of the more distant Clos Cantenac parcels do neighbour Château Monbousquet though.
Although historically the estate possessed just 2.5 hectares, which had declined to just 1.7 hectares by the time it changed hands in 2006, it has since been expanded so that today there are 6 hectares of vines under the Clos Cantenac umbrella, including those which encircle the Menhir de Pierrefitte. About 30 ares (0.3 hectares) sit directly in front of and alongside the cellars, which are positioned ‘side-on’ to the road. Of note, there are more distant parcels beyond this 6 hectares which also come under the Clos Cantenac umbrella but which provide fruit for the rosé and white cuvées.
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