Château Carbonnieux

Origins of the estate date to 1292 when the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Sainte-Croix began cultivating the land. After centuries of ecclesiastical ownership, the property was seized during the French Revolution and passed through several private hands, including the Ferron and Bouchereau families. Marc Perrin purchased the estate in 1956 when it was in a state of significant neglect and had suffered from years of frost and economic hardship. He led a massive restoration of the vineyards and the medieval château structure. The property remains in the family today, with the fourth generation, Eric and Philibert Perrin, serving as co-managing directors.

The vineyard covers 95 hectares on a prominent Gunzian gravel ridge in the Pessac-Léognan appellation. This terroir features deep gravel deposits mixed with clay, limestone, and sand, providing natural drainage and heat retention for the vines. Production is split nearly equally between white and red varieties, with 45 hectares planted to Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, and 50 hectares devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. White wines are fermented in French oak barrels and aged on their lees for approximately 10 months with regular stirring. Red wines undergo traditional fermentation in temperature-controlled vats followed by 15 to 18 months of barrel aging in French oak.

The estate is one of the few properties included in the 1953 and 1959 Graves classifications for both its red and white wines. Historically, it is most recognized for its dry white wine, which represents the largest production of its kind among the classified growths. According to a local legend, the white wine was once exported to the Sultan of Constantinople as mineral water to bypass religious prohibitions against alcohol because of its exceptional clarity. Beyond the primary wines, the estate produces second labels titled La Croix de Carbonnieux and Château Tour Léognan. The wines are identified by their balance and the specific mineral character derived from the gravelly soils of the Graves region.