Château Puy-Blanquet: Vineyards
Château Puy-Blanquet is located on a crest at the very edge of the limestone plateau, looking out (through the trees) across the valley of the Dordogne. To the south the ground falls away, and at the foot of the slope is the hamlet of Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse. To the east is a small valley cut into the edge of the plateau, and on the far side of this there stands Château de Pressac (just visible in the image below, together with its ruined windmill), while to the north east, next to the road heading out to Saint-Genès-de-Castillon, there sits Château Valandraud. These two châteaux are surely Château Puy-Blanquet’s most noteworthy neighbours. To the north and west, meanwhile, sit the less widely appreciated Château Tour Puyblanquet, Château Cantin and Château Boutisse.
Today there are 20 hectares of vines planted here, and since Ginestet’s visit during the 1980s the area dedicated to Cabernet Franc has increased, coming up to 15%, while that dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon has declined, falling to 10%. The remaining 75% is all Merlot of course. The vines are aged just 25 years on average, planted on the clay and limestone soils that typify this corner of Bordeaux.
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