Chateau Pontet-Canet - Pioneering Biodynamics in Bordeaux

Biodynamic wine from a top Bordeaux Grand Cru Classe Chateau...is it possible?  Not a common phenomenon among the large estates of Bordeaux, but one whose coming, given the proliferation and success of biodynamics in other regions of France and around the world, was inevitable.  Chateau Pontet-Canet has boldly, if quietly, taken the lead in biodynamic viticulture in Bordeaux, a smart move in my estimation.  There is little doubt in my mind that the current generation of wine-drinkers will continue to gravitate towards both the terroir-driven style and chemical-free, eco-friendly ideology of natural wines, and producers who fail to get on board with these trends may find themselves with some serious catching up to do.

Pontet-Canet has quite an interesting recent history, having been somewhat relegated to the margins of classified growth Bordeaux in the early seventies due to lackluster quality, and a scandal involving the blending of inexpensive Rioja with the estate's wines.  In 1975, following the conviction of then owner Henri Cruse in the blending scandal,  Cognac merchant Guy Tesseron purchased the estate.  Tesseron's son Alfred soon began to make his mark in the vineyard, introducing quality-enhancing practices such as green harvesting and sorting, and eventually giving up the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides.  In 1993 Alfred Tesseron took over management of the estate and under his guidance quality has improved steadily since then.

In 2004 Tesseron made the bold decision to entrust the direction of the estate to his technical director Jean-Michel Comme, based largely on the success Comme had achieved with biodynamic practices in his own estate, Champs des Trailles.  Under Comme's direction Pontet-Canet began the conversion to biodynamics in 2004, and since 2010 Pontet-Canet has been fully biodynamically certified.  Tesseron does not pretentiously advertise the estate's biodynamic certification, preferring to let the quality of his wines do the talking.   But his genuine motivation in treating the soil and vines with respect is evidenced by such retro-revolutionary practices as shifting to the use of horses for cultivation of the 200 acre estate.  The idea is that horses allow cultivation of the soil without the compacting force exerted by tractors, thus allowing the roots to do their work better.

Uncompromising respect for the fruit and attention to quality continues in the harvesting process, where grapes go directly from the vines to sorting tables via small crates, keeping grapes unbruised and uncrushed.  Respect at harvest time is further afforded the harvest workers who are paid a fair salary rather than the customary piece rates.  As the fruit continues its journey to vinification, sorting is extremely careful and labor intensive, employing 30 workers, to ensure only the ripest, healthiest grapes make it to the fermenting vats.

The grapes are then moved to Pontet-Canet's state-of-the-art oak and cement vat rooms by gravity, without pumping, and only natural yeasts are used in the slow fermentation process to facilitate a long and gentle extraction of tannins.  After about four weeks of maceration, the wine is run off directly into barrels and aged for sixteen to twenty months.  About 60% of barrels are new.  The estate also produces a second wine, Hauts de Pontet-Canet.

So, has Pontet-Canet's Pioneering move to biodynamics paid off when it comes to quality?  To answer that question let's look at prominent wine publications' scores for the past two vintages:

2010 - 100 Wine Advocate, 99 Wine Spectator, 98 Wine Enthusiast
2009 - 100 Wine Advocate, 100 Wine Enthusiast, 98 Wine Spectator

These are scores that look a lot like ones usually associated with first and second growth estates, so not too shabby for a fifth growth estate that was resurrected from mediocrity in the not too distant past.  Chateau Pontet-Canet's success with biodynamics is just another piece of evidence for me that practices which focus first and foremost on respect for nature, for the terroir, and for the vines, are the wave of the future, and not a passing fad.  If it is starting to happen in the venerable estates of Bordeaux, it will undoubtedly continue to happen there and wherever else great wine is made.