Visit Great Domains - 2 - Chateau Pontet-Canet 
The January 2007 visit to the home of Cognac "Tesseron" remains in my memory as one of the finest ridge to date. We took advantage of an open door to visit, "as tourists", Chateau Pontet-Canet, 5th Grand Cru, owned by the same owner.
First the Castle and its surroundings: modest in comparison to some of its neighbors in the Médoc, but very elegant ...
View of Chateau
In the cellars, the omnipresence of materials noble - stone, wood, ironwork - provides a key
"antique", and everywhere you'd smell the polish. Bungs of casks
caulked to the old boards tanks enamel, polished concrete floors: each detail
participates fully in the atmosphere of the place.
The winery wood
The winery drums, closed "old" Wooden tubs
Paradoxically, in the fermentation of wine is the modernity takes precedence: the tanks
tapered concrete models rare and avant-garde, inspired by the best of both worlds : traditional vats and concrete technology. They were transported to the winery on a cushion of air! (Each creature weighing several tons and are very fragile)
Nomblot The house, which develops these tanks is much talk about it with his famous tank
egg-shaped, highly prized by biodynamists (I admired y Noya in Albet
in Catalonia, or Achery Summit in Oregon).
In the courtyard, there is a décavaillonneur horse, used to work the soil without herbicide use, and re-introducing the animal in the vineyard (one of the key principles of Biodynamics). Three horses were affected in this process. For
Pontet-Canet has an ambitious and highly laudable: to become the first Great Classified Growths to convert to Biodynamics. The challenge is, and has unfortunately been undermined this year by the attacks of mildew.
View vineyards
Moreover, the field seems not helped by his neighbors, for whom the intensive use of pesticides appears to be the rule (I advance without proof, but the complete absence of a blade of grass in May in the prestigious neighboring vineyards seemed to be the work of a massive chemical weeding).
Tasting:
Weekend At Great Amateurs:
Pontet-Canet 2005: Highly concentrated, very ripe fruit, with nice toasted aroma. The mouth is huge, massive, almost "evil", with harsh tannins, which we wonder when they go to relax ... Obviously a lot of potential. In
subject:
Pontet-Canet 1997: the nose, pretty aromas of raspberry brandy in the mouth is light enough for a Pauillac, but the structure is beautiful.
tasting, always very elegant Bordeaux ... Everything about this area:
www. saddle-canet.com follow, the "newspaper" very personal, as Jean-Michel, who shares with us the life of the area overnight. Beyond viticultural practices, there are statements-d'âme his daily questions, the distance he takes on its practices in the vineyards, but also his vision of a true management "sustainable" for its employees. Captivating.
http://lapassionduvin.com/phorum/read.php?37, 318982
