Potensac 1978

Potensac is a Bordeaux producer in the Médoc, owned by Jean-Hubert Delon. It was traditionally passed down the female line until current owner Jean-Hubert inherited it from his paternal grandmother, Georgette Liquard.

The château derives its name from the Potensac plateau that it sits on, in the Ordonnac district of the Médoc. The Delon family owns two other Bordeaux estates, Château Nénin in Pomerol and the prestigious second growth Château Leoville-Las Cases in Saint-Julien.

Château Potensac produces two wines, both red and both made of the common Bordeaux red varieties. The 84 hectares (208 acres) of land are planted to 46 percent Merlot, 35 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 16 percent Cabernet Franc, 2 percent Carménère, and 1 percent Petit Verdot. Average vine age is 38 years, with some as old as 80. Historically, Cabernet Sauvignon was the dominant grape, but Merlot has taken over recently as the style of wine moves towards more approachability and earlier drinking.

The vineyards have limestone subsoil with surface clay and a high concentration of gravel. The flagship wine is the eponymous Château Potensac. It is accompanied by the smaller production second wine Chapelle de Potensac, first produced in the 2002 vintage. Château Potensac was one of the nine producers awarded the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel status in the 2003 reclassification, the highest possible designation.