Château Pontet-Canet: Vineyards
Château Pontet-Canet lies west and a little north of the town of Pauillac, very close to the D205 as it runs westwards towards Hourtin and the Lac d’Hourtin-Carcans, one of several étangs that line the Atlantic coast. From Pauillac, the château lies on the opposite side of the Chenal du Gaet, one of the Medoc’s main drainage channels, which bisects the Pauillac appellation. It’s nearest neighbour is without a doubt Château d’Armailhac, which lies one minute’s walk to the north. One minute beyond that is Château Mouton-Rothschild, and the vineyards of Château Duhart-Milon and Château Clerc-Milon.
The Tesserons own the great swathe of vineyards lying between these illustrious neighbours and the Chenal du Gaet, in a prime position on the gravelly plateau of Pauillac, on very typical soils of Quaternary gravel over clay and limestone. This is the most significant of two plots of vines. The land undulates out from the estate, as can be seen from the upper floors of the chai, with the gravel concentrated in the upper sections, more sand and clay on the lower slopes. The second plot is a little more distant, lying to the north of the town of Pauillac; here the soils are more heterogeneous. All told the estate amounts to 120 hectares, of which a little over two-thirds is planted to vines averaging 35 years of age at 9,000 vines per hectare, with a mix of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The plot surrounding the château has more Cabernet Sauvignon, the plot north of Pauillac more Merlot.
