“The difference in our wine is really how we work in the vineyard,” said Justine Tesseron, who now works very closely with her father Alfred Tesseron, owner of Château Pontet-Canet. “Every year we go to another level. First, we have great terroir. My grandfather was avant-garde when he chose our site. Then with the approach my father developed—biodynamics. But, as you know, every year is challenging because of the conditions. In 2018, we lost two-thirds of production because of mildew. In 2020 we were very scared. We didn’t want to have the same situation. Our vineyard people were very motivated. We didn’t miss any treatments—even on Saturday and Sunday. We HAD to be in the vineyard. Everyone was there. In the end, we didn’t lose any crops due to mildew. We kept it contained and it did not spread to the grapes.” “It was also challenging because of the very warm, dry days,” she added. “We had a bit of drought. But all the treatments we use, based on plants, have meant that the vineyard is in good balance. It was not too much affected by the drought. At Pontet-Canet we don’t deleaf or do green harvest. The leaves protected the grapes.” I asked Justine about the rains that occurred in mid-August—85 millimeters (3.35 inches)—nearly a month after the start of veraison. She said, “Yes, I think we managed the rain well. Mathieu Bessonnet, our technical director, decided to leave the grass growing between the rows this year, in anticipation of water. The grass was quite high. It managed to soak up a lot of the water. The berries were in good condition afterwards. We did not get dilution.” In the end, Pontet-Canet came through with yields that were just slightly lower than 2019, which was a relatively generous year for this estate. And the wine? Absolutely singular. Absolutely Pontet-Canet.

Drink Date:2023 - 2040