Château Carbonnieux
Château Carbonnieux
#PROPERTY: History & Terroir
The history of Château Carbonnieux
Château Carbonnieux, one of the Grands Crus Classés de Graves, has a rich history dating back to the 13th century, when the "Carbonius" family began cultivating these lands in Léognan. This makes it one of the oldest and largest wine estates in the Bordeaux region. During the Hundred Years' War, the estate ran into difficulties, passing through various hands, from Ramon Carbonnieux to the Benedictines to the Ferron family.
After centuries under the Ferron family, the property was sold to the monks of Bordeaux's Sainte-Croix abbey in 1740. During the French Revolution, the estate was sold as national property to Elie de Bouchereau, President Treasurer of France. With the help of his son, he considerably enlarged the vineyard.
Later, Antony Perrin, the property's new owner, modernized and restored the estate, promoting the reputation of Bordeaux wines abroad. After him, his children, Eric, Christine and Philibert of the Perrin family, took up the torch. Eric became president of the Graves crus classés and Philibert became president of the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
In 2019, Eric's eldest sons, Marc and Andréa, joined the team, continuing the family tradition and contributing to the estate's ongoing success.
Château Carbonnieux terroir: vineyard and estate
At Château Carbonnieux, each of the 119 parcels of land has a distinct identity, and this diversity is reflected in the meticulous selection of top-quality grapes, a tradition that has been rooted in the estate's winegrowing culture for centuries. It is the only one of Bordeaux's grands crus to maintain an almost equal surface area for both white and red wines.
Château Carbonnieux, which qualifies as a Grands Crus Classés de Graves, has a terroir offering remarkable morphological diversity and soil richness, thanks to its oceanic climate. An in-depth study, combining soil resistivity analysis and precisely located pedological examinations, confirmed this observation. This research has led to the precise establishment of a new geological map covering the entire estate.
The varied composition of Carbonnieux's soils creates a mosaic of parcels, each with its own unique and complex personality:
- soils are clay-gravel.
- gravelly, varying in depth and density.
- the soils are clayey-limestone, with clay and limestone veins, as well as sandy-gravelly soils.
Each parcel at Carbonnieux is given a distinct name, reflecting its singular identity. Each one receives special attention and care tailored to its specific soil, agrological and ampelographic characteristics. This level of personalization in plot management guarantees a delicate and precise approach, seeking to express the full potential of each terroir in the making of Château Carbonnieux wines.
On the 55 hectares of vines dedicated to red grape varieties, a precise distribution of grape varieties is observed:
- Cabernet Sauvignon (50%) flourishes in the deep, massive gravel terroirs, expressing its great aromatic finesse.
- Merlot (40%) finds its place between fine gravel and clay soils, offering subtlety and aromatic complexity.
- Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%) thrive on clay-limestone soils covered with fine gravel, offering a specific expression of these terroirs.
The average age of the red vines is 26 years, testifying to the maturity of the plants and the experience acquired over the decades.
As for the 45 hectares of white varietal vines, the distribution is also carefully thought out:
- Sauvignon Blanc (68%) dominates, flourishing on both the deep gravels and the fine gravels of the clay-limestone soils, enabling a broader aromatic expression.
- Sémillon (30%) is reserved for clay-limestone soils, giving the wine the round, silky character characteristic of this grape variety.
- A more recent planting, Sauvignon gris (2%), is being considered to make the most of clay-limestone soils.
The average age of the white vineyard is 30 years, illustrating the depth of its roots and the richness of its history.
This meticulous selection of grape varieties will reveal all the aromatic finesse of Château Carbonnieux wines.
Wine-making at Château Carbonnieux
Château Carbonnieux red, an essential classic of the region, is a supple wine with balanced, silky tannins, red fruit notes and toasty nuances resulting from ageing in oak barrels.
First, the grapes are meticulously inspected on sorting tables to ensure optimum quality. Vinification then takes place over 3 to 4 weeks in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for the red wine. Simultaneously, fermentation and ageing in barrels or foudres characterize the white wine process.
This oak barrel ageing gives the white wine distinct aromas of vanilla, smoke and spices, enriching its bouquet with a unique complexity.
#WINES FROM THE DOMAIN: Appellations and Cuvées
The Pessac-Léognan appellation
Pessac-Léognan, a French AOC wine, is painstakingly created in the region around Pessac and Léognan, in the heart of the prestigious Graves vineyards, a renowned subdivision of the famous Bordeaux terroir. This distinct wine-growing area lies to the immediate south of Bordeaux, the world's wine capital.
Discover our full selection of Pessac-Léognan wines
Château Carbonnieux vintages
- Château Carbonnieux Red
- Château Carbonnieux White
- La Croix de Carbonnieux
- Château Tour Léognan
- Château Carbonnieux Rouge boasts an intense color and a broad palette of aromas typical of its superb terroir. Fruity, mineral and toasty aromas blend harmoniously, accompanied by silky tannins that ensure perfect balance. This complete, classic wine evolves particularly well over time.
- Château Carbonnieux Blanc is an exceptional wine, said to have been introduced to the Sultan of Constantinople in the 18th century under the name "Eau Minérale de Carbonnieux", thanks to its exceptional clarity. Our dry white wines, made from Garonne gravel-clay terroirs, seduce with their fruity, floral freshness when young, evolving towards notes of dried fruit as they age. Careful blending of Semillon and Sauvignon ensures balance and complexity.
- La Croix de Carbonnieux rouge et blanc celebrates the Benedictine monks of the Abbaye Sainte Croix de Bordeaux, former owners of the estate in the 13th and 18th centuries. Their emblem, the "S" around the Sainte Croix, is printed on our bottles, bearing witness to their passage through the history of the estate.
These wines, second wines of the Cru Classé de Carbonnieux, are made with the same rigor as the Grands Crus. La Croix De Carbonnieux Rouge is a red wine with a beautiful ruby hue and red fruit aromas, less powerful than the Carbonnieux, but highly prized in gastronomy, offering a multitude of food and wine pairings. La Croix De Carbonnieux Blanc, with its pale yellow color, combines freshness and delicate aromas of exotic fruit and grapefruit, reflecting the singular minerality of Carbonnieux and the Pessac-Léognan terroir. This white is a pure delight for epicureans.
- Château Tour Léognan The wines of Château Tour Léognan come from the young vines of Château Carbonnieux. They are grown and vinified with the same care as the older vines. These wines are delicious, easy-drinking and flavorful, created to be enjoyed in their youth.
The Château Tour Léognan blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot combines density and finesse. It is distinguished by notes of black fruit and a light woody touch, typical of red wines from the Pessac-Léognan terroir. As for the white wine, pleasant, fresh and fruity, it is characterized by Sauvignon, offering citrus notes, complemented by the richness and finesse of Semillon, giving it a fleshy, elegant mouthfeel.
Château Carbonnieux's best vintages
1999, 2002, 2015, 2020, 2022
How much does it cost to buy Château Carbonnieux wine?
To find out how much Château Carbonnieux wines cost, or to discover our vintages, you can visit our website. We present our different wines and their corresponding prices.
#IN BRIEF : Figures
Region: Bordeaux
Appellation : Pessac-Léognan
Surface area : 100 Hectares
Red grape varieties : Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 40%, Cabernet Franc 5%
White grape varieties : Sauvignon Blanc 68%, Semillon 30%, Sauvignon Gris 2%
Vineyard cultivation : 1/4 Bio and 3/4 Raisonnée. HVE label (High Environmental Value)