Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet Second Vin 1996

Lot presentation

Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet Second Vin 1996

The wine

Les Hauts de Pontet-Canet made the headlines when it was downgraded in 2012. Regardless of the envy caused by Pontet-Canet, it really is a great Pauillac. Both full and rich, it is blessed with a sweet acidity which makes it accessible when young and will allow it to age gracefully.

Château Pontet-Canet has only been owned by three families since it was created at the beginning of the 17th century. The property was established by Jean-François de Pontet, the King's equerry and subsequently the governor of the Médoc. Some years later, his descendants enlarged the vineyard with plots from a locality known as Canet. Classified in 1855, the property was purchased in 1865 by Hermann Cruse, a well-known Bordeaux wine merchant, who developed an international reputation for its wines. The property has belonged to the Tesseron family since 1975. Guy Tesseron supervised a substantial modernisation of the facilities, but also the vinification techniques. Today, it is his sons, Alfred and Gérard Tesseron who manage the domaine. In the heart of Pauillac, the 80 ha of vines, alongside Mouton Rothschild, are planted on a hilltop of Garonne gravel and sand. It was a revolution which made Alfred Tesseron and Jean-Michel Comme (who left the estate in 2020), in the mid-2000s, convert the first classical premier cru of the Médoc to biodynamics. This duo managed to lift this fifth cru classé to the level of the great Bordeaux wines. To such an extent that 10 (years) later, Pontent-Canet can emulate this. Nothing is left to chance for the élevage. The domaine's teams continue to innovate to create the best wines. The wines are then aged for 16 to 20 months. Aging takes place in oak barrels, about two-thirds of which are renewed each year and, since 2012, in amphora (for a third). The shape of these was conceived at the château for balance between full bodied and tension in the wines.