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Domain: Château Carbonnieux

Built at the end of the 14th century, around 1380, Château Carbonnieux is one of the oldest wines produced in the ancient terroir of Graves, the region where Bordeaux's first vines were planted. The vineyard lies on silica-limestone hilltops overlooking the cool Eau Blanche valley, which crosses the commune of Léognan. Despite the poor state of the vineyard the Perrin family, who already owned vines in Algeria, set their hearts on this property in the 1950s. Ravaged by phylloxera at the end of the 19th century, the property suffered from the chronic over-production crisis that engulfed many of France's wine regions until the end of the 1960s. The dilapidated buildings had not been properly maintained since the First World War. Furthermore, the year following the purchase (1956) brought one of the worst frosts of the century, with temperatures going down to almost -20°C! Marc Perrin undertook to restore the property to its former 17th century splendour. A complete replanting programme was initiated in the vineyard. Both white and red are classified during the Graves wine classification of 1959. It is one of the six chateaux whose both colours are classified. Thelabours began to bear fruit in the early 1980s, under the supervision of Antony Perrin, who took over the reins in 1982. A tremendous visionary, he raised both the red and the white wine to an exceptional level. He also bought other properties in the appellation such as Le Sartre, Tour-Léognan, Bois-Martin, Lafon-Menaut and Haut-Vigneu.