September 17th: Château Carbonnieux with Marc Perrin
At Vinonueva | 5145 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL, 33137 | 7:00 pm-8:30 pm
Click HERE to get tickets
Join us for a walkthrough tasting with Marc Perrin of Château Carbonnieux, who will be presenting the wines and sharing the story of one of Bordeaux’s oldest wine estates. With a history stretching back nearly eight centuries, Carbonnieux has been producing both red and white wines since the time of the Benedictine monks of Sainte-Croix. Today, the estate remains in the hands of the Perrin family, who acquired Carbonnieux in 1956 and are now entering their fourth generation at the château.
Carbonnieux is particularly notable for its commitment to both red and white Pessac-Léognan, with its vineyard divided almost equally between the two. It is classified as a Grand Cru Classé de Graves in both colors. White wine, in particular, has played an important role in Carbonnieux’s history and remains a defining part of the estate today.
Throughout the evening, taste a vertical selection of Château Carbonnieux wines and meet Marc Perrin to learn more about the vineyard, the wines, and his family’s work at the estate today.
“One of the best whites of Bordeaux for me. You can expect creaminess and concentration in the flavours, which come from plantings of 65% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon — always with the tension and lift that makes Bordeaux whites so food-friendly. The vineyard is split into two clear and almost equally-sized sections, each with its own distinct terroir of gravel-clay and clay-limestone, which neatly explains why they are able to produce such high quality in both colours.” Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux.
BACKGROUND
The history of Château Carbonnieux stretches back nearly eight centuries, making it one of Bordeaux's oldest wine estates. Its origins date to 1234, when records from the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Croix mention Ramon Carbonnieu, a monk who owned vineyards in Léognan. By the end of the 13th century, the estate was already associated with the abbey and with viticulture.
After the disruptions of the Hundred Years’ War, the monks sold Carbonnieux in 1519 to Jean de Ferron, a newly ennobled member of a prominent Bordeaux family. Over the next two and a half centuries, the Ferrons expanded the property and transformed the former fortified farm into the château that largely defines the estate today.
In 1740, Carbonnieux returned to the Benedictine monks of Sainte-Croix. This second monastic period proved particularly important for its development as a wine estate. Under Dom Galéas, the monks modernized the cellars, blended different grape varieties, bottled the wines on the estate, and built an international market for both Carbonnieux Blanc and Rouge.
By the late 18th century, Carbonnieux had become particularly renowned for its white wine. In the 1776 classification of the Intendance of Guyenne, the wines of the Benedictines of Carbonnieux ranked among the region's leading wines, establishing Carbonnieux as an important reference for white Bordeaux.
The French Revolution ended the monastic era. The state confiscated church properties, and in 1791 Carbonnieux was sold to Elie de Bouchereau. During the 19th century, the Bouchereau family turned the estate into an important center of viticultural experimentation. Henry-Xavier Bouchereau assembled an extraordinary collection of grape varieties at Carbonnieux—eventually numbering more than 1,200—before phylloxera devastated European vineyards.
After several changes of ownership through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the modern chapter of Carbonnieux began in 1956, when Marc Perrin purchased the estate. Bordeaux was going through a difficult economic period, and shortly after the acquisition, a severe winter frost damaged the vineyard extensively. Marc Perrin nevertheless began an ambitious restoration and replanting program. The vineyard grew from approximately 45 hectares in 1970 to 70 hectares in 1980 and eventually to around 100 hectares today.
His son Antony Perrin continued the transformation, modernizing the winery and becoming an important figure in the region. He was among the advocates for the creation of the Pessac-Léognan appellation in 1987 and later served as president of both the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux and the Crus Classés de Graves.
Today, the Perrin family remains firmly in control of Carbonnieux. Antony passed the estate to his three children, Eric, Christine, and Philibert, who continued both managing the property and the family's involvement in the wider Bordeaux wine community. Eric served as president of the Crus Classés de Graves from 2012 to 2015, while Philibert served as president of the Pessac-Léognan appellation from 2017 to 2021.
In 2019, a fourth generation joined the estate when Eric's sons, Marc and Andréa, became part of the team. Marc oversees the commercial side of the business, while Andréa, an oenologist, works as cellar master and is directly involved in the production of the wines. Their arrival marks the latest chapter in a family stewardship.
VINEYARD & TERROIR
Château Carbonnieux encompasses more than 200 hectares on the outskirts of Bordeaux, with 100 hectares under vine in a single, contiguous block surrounding the château. The vineyard is almost evenly divided between red and white varieties, with 55 hectares planted to red grapes and 45 hectares to white.
The estate sits on one of the gravel rises that define the Graves region. These soils were formed over thousands of years from alluvial deposits from the Garonne River, leaving terraces composed of gravel, stones, sand, silt, and clay. At Carbonnieux, the vineyard is predominantly sandy-gravel, with areas of clay-limestone and a band of Landes sand. The gravel ridge's elevation, along with drainage from the nearby Eau Blanche stream, allows excess water to move readily through the soils.But the terroir at Carbonnieux is far from uniform. A detailed resistivity study, combined with targeted soil analysis, allowed the estate to map variations in its soils and subsoils with considerable precision. The vineyard is now divided into 119 individual plots, each identified by name and managed according to its particular geological and agronomic characteristics.
This parcel-by-parcel approach extends beyond vineyard work. Individual plots are followed separately from harvest through vinification, creating distinct lots that can later be selected and assembled during blending. It also allows the estate to determine which grape varieties are best suited to each combination of gravel, sand, clay, and limestone, rather than treating the vineyard as a single homogeneous terroir.
THE RED VINEYARD
The 55 hectares devoted to red varieties are led by Cabernet Sauvignon, which represents 50% of the plantings and is primarily planted on the estate's deeper, more substantial gravel soils. Merlot accounts for 40% and is planted across finer gravel and clay soils. The remaining Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, at 5% each, are principally planted on clay-limestone soils covered by fine gravel.
The average age of the red vines is approximately 26 years.
THE WHITE VINEYARD
White varieties occupy 45 hectares, an important part of Carbonnieux's identity given the estate's long history with dry white Bordeaux. Sauvignon Blanc represents 65% of the white vineyard, planted on both deep gravel and finer gravel over clay-limestone soils.
The remaining 35% is Sémillon, planted on clay-limestone soils that, according to the estate, provide the roundness and body the variety is known for.
The white vines average approximately 30 years of age.
This combination of varied soils, precise parcel management, and a substantial commitment to both red and white varieties helps explain an important distinction in Carbonnieux's history: in the 1953 Classification of Graves, the château was recognized as a Grand Cru Classé de Graves for both its red and white wines, a distinction maintained when the Classification of Graves was finalized in 1959.
WINEMAKING & CELLAR
At Carbonnieux, the parcel-by-parcel approach used in the vineyard continues into the cellar. Andréa Perrin, the fourth generation of the family at the estate, serves as oenologist and technical director, working closely with the vineyard and cellar teams to follow the origin and development of each individual lot from harvest through élevage.
The estate's stated objective is to produce wines that can be enjoyed relatively young while also developing greater complexity with time in the cellar. Achieving that balance begins with the harvest.
HARVEST
All grapes are harvested by hand, with picking dates determined by the ripeness of each plot. The vineyard's location immediately surrounding the château allows the fruit to be transported quickly to the winery after picking.
The grapes undergo careful selection before vinification and are kept in separate lots according to their vineyard origin and characteristics. These individual lots are vinified separately before ultimately becoming components of the final blends.
WHITE WINEMAKING
For the white wines, particular attention is given to limiting oxidation and preserving the freshness and aromatic character of the juice. Following manual sorting, the grapes undergo a slow pressing under inert gas.
Fermentation takes place in either tanks or barrels depending on the plot from which the fruit originates. Keeping the different parcels separate at this stage allows the cellar team to follow their individual characteristics before blending.
RED WINEMAKING
Red wine production requires a longer extraction process. During maceration, regular pump-overs progressively extract color, tannins, and structure from the grapes.
Following vinification, the wines are aged in French oak barrels. The individual lots are then blended, and the finished wines are bottled at the château.
Check out the lineup for this tasting:
- Château Carbonnieux Blanc 2024
- Château Carbonnieux Blanc 2022
- Château Carbonnieux Blanc 2020
- Château Carbonnieux Rouge 2022
- Château Carbonnieux Rouge 2020
- Château Carbonnieux Rouge 2019
Photo Credits: Château Carbonnieux