What was cultivated in Pauillac in the early 18th century by the royal governor of the Médoc, Jean-François de Pontet had become part of the famous 1855 classification among the elite of the Médoc. In 1865, Herman Cruse bought over Pontet-Canet and he built new cellars, modernised the winemaking facilities and established the wine's reputation around the world. Pontet-Canet became the property of The Cruse family for 110 years, until another shipper (from Cognac this time), Guy Tesseron, acquired it in 1975.

Pauillac is home to several of the world's most famous wine and the region lies in an inauspicious small village in Médoc. Pauillac sprawls over the land size of about 8.8 square miles, is highly optimised for wine production and accounts for a rather disproportionate amount of fine, expensive wine in Bordeaux.