52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot

Food pairings: Roast lamb, ribeye, duck, game, braised or grilled meats, and mature cheeses.

Winemaking: The 2023 harvest ran from September 7 to October 10, the earliest start and the longest picking in the estate's history. Merlot came in first, followed by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from September 20 and Cabernet Sauvignon from September 28. The wine aged in 50% new barrels, 35% concrete amphorae and 15% one-year-old barrels, under technical director Mathieu Bessonnet.

Vineyards and terroir: Pontet-Canet lies on a plateau of Günz-era Garonne gravel over limestone bedrock, overlooking the Gironde estuary next to Mouton Rothschild. In 2023 the soils were left unworked after véraison. The estate is farmed biodynamically, with horses working the vines, and it was the first great classified growth to hold both organic and biodynamic certification.

Family: Jean-François de Pontet assembled the vineyard from 1705, and the name Pontet-Canet dates from 1781. The Cruse family owned the estate from 1865 until Guy Tesseron bought it in 1975. His son Alfred took over in 1994, and Alfred's daughter Justine has worked alongside him since 2015, with co-owners Noé, Mélanie and Philippine Tesseron.

In the pictures: A monument among the Pontet-Canet vines, with the estate buildings in the distance (photo: Gilles Messian, 2019, CC BY 2.0), and an early-1900s postcard of the château (Neurdein, public domain).