Chateau Pontet-Canet first makes an appearance in the historical record in the early 1700s, when it was brought under the ownership of Jean-Francois Pontet; Pontet was an influential local politician and deputy to the Intendant of Guyenne. It was he and his descendents that expanded their holdings, subsuming neighbouring plots of land. Unlike many other estates, Pontet-Canet has proven unusually impervious to dissolution over the following centuries.
Following the death of the estate’s manager, Pierre-Bernard de Pontet, the quality of the wine declined. When the 1855 classification took place it this property was relegated to the 5th tier. Given what the estate has since become, this is little but a historical curiousity.
In 1856 the famous Cruse family got their hands on Pontet-Canet. Hermann Cruse forged ahead and galvanised the languishing estate. He employed Charles Skawninski despite his tender age of 23. Investment bordered on the biblical:
The new chai was constructed to Skawninski’s design and the cellar – notable for being underground – was refurbished and re-equipped. With these improvements, and the precocious Skawninski at the helm, the good name of Pontet-Canet was restored.
With the death of Hermann and his widow, things took a turn for the worse once again. Chateau Pontet-Canet was considered a pitiable underachiever during this time, nestled as it was between some of the most prestigious estates in the world. Under the Cruse family this estate became, incredulously, a brand name for non-vintage wine served in French railway carriages. Put simply, the situation was dire.
In 1973 the Cruse family fell into disrepute, in which their firm was found to be guilty of fraud. The details are murky, but it seems that some red table wines and white AC Bordeaux became red AC Bordeaux and white table wine. The red wine, having conveniently taken on the AC Bordeaux appellation, fetched a higher price. When Lionel Cruse refused to allow inspections to take place, the family’s fate was sealed. Herman Cruse, disgraced, had committed suicide. Pierre Bert was put in prison for a year. Though their later appeal in 1975 was successful, as it seems most of the blame fell on Balan (a small time negociant ran by Pierre Bert), their reputation was tarnished.
Predictably, the Cruse family were forced to put the estate on the market. The buyer was none other than Cognac merchant Guy Tesseron, who was married to one of the Cruse family in 1975. Tesseron already had experience in the area, having purchased Chateau Lafon-Rochet in 1959. Under the aegis of Guy and his son Alfred, Pontet-Canet slowly recovered from decades of neglect; from a brand name to a name befitting a classed growth estate. Sadly, the wines still seemed closed and reserved due to harsh tannins. It was only in the 1990s, with the input of Michel Rolland, that the wines took on a new and improved form. Quality has soared vintage after vintage, and prices have risen accordingly. Today it is watched by many wine lovers who are aware of this property’s great potential for quality.
The vines span 80 hectares, situated on Quarternary gravel over clay and limestone. Vines are planted at 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Average vine age is 35 years. The wine is fermented in temperature-regulated vats before spending up to twenty months in oak, of which about 60% is new each vintage. The wine is fined with egg white prior to bottling, but is not filtered. The grand vin is named Chateau Pontet-Canet, and there are about 20,000 cases to be had each year. A second wine has been produced since 1982, known as Les Hauts de Pontet, of which there are about the same number of cases on average.
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