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Positioned on the east side of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne commune, along the Gironde-Bordeaux estuary, Château Pontoise Cabarrus is renowned for its Cru Bourgeois. The vineyard sits within the Haut-Médoc appellation, but the land stretches among deep gravelly rises on the Gironde, and across limestone-heavy soils to the west.

Only seven of the 15 hectares of vines were producing grapes when Emile Tereygeol acquired the property in 1959. And so he devoted himself to rectifying this loss, and growing Pontoise’s potential as an ‘en primeur’ estate. Emile’s son François Tereygeol continued on this trajectory when he took over the business in 1973, extending the vineyard to cloak the 28 hectares of gravelly soils that surrounded the original plots. François’ son Eric and friend Jacques Boissenot, renowned oenologists from Médoc, assisted in improving the quality of the vines, and both of François’ sons, Eric and Laurent, continue this aim to constantly work to accentuate the exceptional terroir beneath their feet.

Among this left bank region of Bordeaux, Château Pontoise Cabarrus produces full bodied, fruit-driven reds, with fine grained tannins. For the estate’s Cru Bourgeois, the Tereygeol family selects the best parcels of grapes from old vines along with the best barrels to make their premium wine. To create this powerfully concentrated drop, they blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.

The proximity to the estuary and deep, well-draining gravelly soils create a unique microclimate that assists in developing the incomparable expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the main grape varietal of the Grand Crus of Haut-Médoc. Once the grapes have matured throughout September, the berries are tasted each day to observe the optimal time for harvest. Since 1981, the family has harvested the grapes by machine, before sorting manually on a conveyor belt. Merlot is picked first, followed by Cabernet Franc, then Cabernet Sauvignon and lastly Petit Verdot. Alike to other Bordeaux wines, these are barrel aged for 12–14 months in new French oak, along with a small portion of barrels that have been used once before.

The name ‘Cru Bourgeois’ is a quality classification bestowed to red wines cultivated in the Médoc, which originated in the 18th century. The classification has seen several adaptions since its beginnings, and the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc plans to reintroduce a three-tiered measure of quality in 2020—Cru Bourgeois, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, and Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel.