2007 Château Carbonnieux

Château Carbonnieux is in the Graves region of Bordeaux. The 214-acre estate has been owned since the 1950s by the Perrin family, although the estate's winemaking tradition dates to the 14th century. In the early 20th century the estate fell into disrepair and though the Perrin family made improvements it wasn’t until the late 1980s that reviewers started complimenting the wines. The classified growth estate makes red and white wines. The red vineyards are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. The white vineyards are 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 38% Semillon and 2% Muscadelle. Some 200,000 bottles are produced a year. The second wine is Chateau Tour Leognan. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that the reds are “very Burgundian, with a Volnay-like personality….As for the whites, they have always been excellent.”

Pessac-Léognan was created in 1987 from the northern part of the left bank Graves appellation. Before then it was simply part of Graves, or sometimes it was called Haut-Graves. Unlike many other Bordeaux appellations, Pessac-Léognan is known for both red and dry white wines, although its reds are more famous. The appellation includes ten communes and the area’s most important châteaux, including Château Haut-Brion, the only non-Médoc estate included in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. There are 2,964 acres of vineyards in Pessac-Léognan and 16 classified growth estates. The main red grapes grown are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, along with a small amount of Cabernet Franc. White grapes grown are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with a little Muscadelle. Pessac-Léognan is considered to have the best terroir of the greater Graves region.