Last summer, I had the chance to visit one of the oldest, largest and most iconic estates in the Bordeaux region, Château Carbonnieux. I have already talked about Châteaux Carbonnieux in a previous post Château Carbonnieux: the legendary white wine from Bordeaux, but today I want to describe the visit and the tasting experienced there.
The entrance to the Château is impressive, with its white roads accompanied by trees; the buildings are surrounded by vineyards and woodlands. It is immediately perceivable how sustainability and the desire to be as environmentally friendly as possible have been adopted, with the aim of enhancing the biodiversity of the estate.
I was welcomed by the wine tourism manager who guided the visit to the cellar, and from the very beginning, in the courtyard of the Château, started telling the story about the middle-aged origin of the family called “Carbonius” or Carbonnieu, who the estate had been named after, to the more recent events that involved the ownership by the Perrin Family.
Two events of the long history related to this estate captured my attention, and both happened during the 18th century.
Thanks to the talents and entrepreneurship of the Benedictine monks from the Sainte-Croix Abbey, who ran the estate for half a century, the white wines were introduced in Constantinople into the palace of the Ottoman Sultan and called “the mineral water of Carbonnieux”. Furthermore, in 1786, Thomas Jefferson, the future president of the United States, went on a grand tour of France to discover its vineyards. In Bordeaux, he selected Carbonnieux to taste the “Wine of the Odalisques”, as it was then called in the United States.
The focus of my visit was the “Legendary White” tour that allowed me to gain more information and knowledge about the unique style of white dry wines made in Bordeaux. The tasting included one sample of Château Tour Léognan 2021 and two different vintages of Grand Cru Classé Château Carbonnieux.
The vineyards dedicated to the white grape varieties are located on the clay-limestone slopes of the Garonne gravel hillside. The white wines produced here have a fruity and floral pronounced aromatic intensity in their youth and, in time, they gain complexity and develop dried and candied fruit aromas that make these wines suitable for bottle ageing.
Here is a summary of the characteristics of the grapes used for making the wine tasted:
Sauvignon Blanc: this is a white grape variety, which has late budding and relatively early ripening, making it well suited to be grown in cool climates and regions with a threat of early autumn rains. It grows vigorously; therefore, it gives its best in poor soils. The canopy must be carefully managed to avoid shading and under-ripening, resulting in an overly green fruit flavour. Dry white Bordeaux blends have pronounced intensity aromas of grass, bell pepper and asparagus, with gooseberry, grapefruit, and wet stone flavours, typically showing medium body and alcohol, as well as high acidity.
Sémillon: this is a traditional variety of the region; it is a mid-ripening variety, susceptible to botrytis bunch rot and to noble rot in the right conditions. In dry white Bordeaux blends, it provides low to medium intensity aromas (apple and lemon), body and acidity to soften Sauvignon Blanc’s more intense flavours and high acidity. This variety is suited to French oak fermentation and/or maturation, as it can develop and amplify vanilla and spicy notes taken from that.
Château Tour Léognan – Pessac-Léognan A.O.C. – 2021 – Grand Vin de Graves
Sauvignon Blanc – Sémillon
This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon made from the fruit from young vine’s that do not yet have the concentration to be used for the Grand Cru Classé Château Carbonnieux. The wine delivers notes of citrus fruits, integrated and amplified by the refreshing acidity, typical from Sauvignon Blanc. Certain roundness is given by Sémillon and the richness brought by the oak maturation (9 months).
- Look: pale lemon.
- Smell: medium aroma intensity of grass, lemon, lime, grapefruit, apple, peach, biscuit, vanilla, almond.
- Taste: dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium flavour intensity, medium finish.
- Pairing: squid salad with julienne raw vegetables.
Château Carbonnieux – Pessac-Léognan A.O.C. – 2021 – Grand Cru Classé de Graves
65% Sauvignon, 35% Sémillon
This vintage was characterised by icy nights in April that put at risk the budburst, using fires of straw at the most critical moments so that the losses recorded were minimal. The vines then grew slowly but surely thanks to pleasant weather in mid-spring. In mid-June, heavy rains triggered an attack of mildew, fortunately confined to the leaves on most grape varieties. The typically maritime summer protected the vines from extreme heat but caused disease pressure, such as mildew. The pickers harvested very fine grapes with balanced sugar, acidity, and very interesting aromatic notes. The grapes were gently and slowly pressed to avoid extraction of tannins and avoid excessive amounts of solids and inert gas was used to avoid oxidation. The must was then clarified by cold clarification. The fermentation and ageing took place in oak, 25% of which were new, for 10 months with lees stirring to enhance the complexity of the wine.
- Look: pale lemon.
- Smell: medium (+) aroma intensity of grass, lemon, lime and grapefruit blossom, apple, peach, biscuit, vanilla, almond.
- Taste: dry, medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, full body, medium (+) flavour intensity, long finish.
- Pairing: salmon tartare with crunchy vegetables.
Château Carbonnieux – Pessac-Léognan A.O.C. – 2016 – Grand Cru Classé de Graves
70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon
This vintage was generous in quantity and the quality of the fruit was exceptional. Despite the heavy spring rainfall, flowering was successful thanks to the general good and dry weather. The summer was hot and sunny but dry; this allowed the picking of the grapes at the perfect stage of ripeness. The grapes were gently and slowly pressed to avoid extraction of tannins and avoid excessive amounts of solids and inert gas was used to avoid oxidation. The must was then clarified by cold clarification. The fermentation and ageing took place in oak, 25% of which were new, for 10 months with lees stirring to enhance the complexity of the wine.
- Look: medium lemon.
- Smell: medium (+) aroma intensity of grass, lemon, lime and grapefruit blossom, apple, peach, apricot biscuit, brioche, vanilla, ginger, almond.
- Taste: dry, medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, full body, medium (+) flavour intensity, long finish.
- Pairing: shrimps with avocado and lime sauce.
Producer: Château Carbonnieux