Château Pibran: Vineyards
Château Pibran is located roughly west of the town of Pauillac itself, close to the Chenal du Gaet, one of the more significant drainage channels that criss-cross the Médoc. The channel runs down to the east, and empties into the Gironde, at the northern end of the town. It divides the vineyards of Pauillac in two, with the Bages plateau to the south, and the vineyards of Le Pouyalet and Milon to the north. Château Pibran lies just on the northern side.
The only physical evidence of the existence of the estate is the presence of a rather understated, single-storey château (pictured below) which overlooks the vines. As noted in my history of the estate, I believe this to have been an outbuilding of the original Château La Tour Pibran, an elegant two-storey mansion which was demolished some time after 1974. In the image below, this château would have stood just to the right of the building that today serves as Château Pibran.
The most significant of its neighbours is Château Pontet-Canet, which lies about 600 metres to the northwest, although in terms of vineyards the nearest neighbour is actually Château d’Armailhac; the sweep of vines which run behind the château all belong to this property, with those of Pontet-Canet lying further back. The Pibran vines are located in front of the château (and are thus nicely illustrated in the image below), interspersed with a trio of parcels which belong to Grand-Puy-Ducasse. On the opposite bank of the Chenal du Gaet there are vines belonging to, from north to south, Lynch-Bages, Croizet-Bages and Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. This is cru classé territory.
