The terroir,
the vineyard
119
Plots
119
Personalities
The terroir
the quality of the soils has been
mapped with precision,
thus revealing 119 distinct plots.
The terroir of Château Carbonnieux stands out for its morphology and the diversity of its soils. Thanks to a resistivity study complemented by targeted soil analyses, the quality of the soils has been precisely mapped, revealing 119 distinct plots. Each plot bears a name that highlights its own identity and benefits from tailored care, adapted to its pedological and agronomic characteristics.
Throughout the entire process, from harvest to bottling, the specificity of each plot is respected and reflected in the aromatic batches, according to the principle of plot-based management. Such a geological foundation gives the wines of this Pessac-Léognan estate remarkable aromatic richness and balance. Thanks to the exceptional potential of its terroir, Château Carbonnieux was distinguished in the Graves Grand Cru Classé classification in 1953 for both its white and red wines, a classification later revised in 1959 — a rare double distinction shared by only six châteaux among the 6,000 wine estates in Bordeaux.
Today, the estate extends over 200 hectares on the outskirts of Bordeaux. The vines, planted since the 13th century, cover 100 hectares in a single block around the château, almost equally divided between red and white grape varieties.
Geology
The vineyard of Château Carbonnieux lies on a Günzian Garonne gravel ridge, a legacy of a geological past shaped by the movements of the Pyrenees and the alluvial deposits of the Garonne River. Over time, terraces of gravel composed of stones, sands, silts, and clays formed on the left bank, giving the wine region its name. The estate sits atop one of these Quaternary gravel ridges, with sandy-gravel soils favorable to vine growing. A geological particularity completes this ensemble: a band of Landes sands, combined with excellent natural drainage ensured by the Eau Blanche stream.
The vineyard
The selection of grape varieties according to soil type has been an integral part of the winemaking culture at Château Carbonnieux for centuries. Thanks to precise subsoil mapping, each grape variety, red or white, is planted so as to thrive on the terroir best suited to it, allowing it to fully draw the elements needed to reveal its full aromatic finesse.
Technical profile
of the vineyard
55 hectares
of red grape varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon (50%)
expresses deep and substantial gravel terroirs
Merlot (40%)
is distributed between fine gravels and clay soils
Cabernet Franc (5%) as well as Petit Verdot (5%)
are dedicated to clay-limestone soils covered with fine gravels
Average age of the red vineyard
26 years
45 hectares
of white grape varieties
Sauvignon Blanc (65%)
dominates on deep gravel soils as well as on the fine gravels of clay-limestone soils
Sémillon (35%)
is confined to clay-limestone soils that provide the roundness and “body” expected from this grape variety
Average age of the white vineyard
30 years
