Château Carbonnieux 1999

Tasting Notes and Advice for Château Carbonnieux 1999

Tasting

Appearance
The colour reveals a beautiful cherry-red hue, adorned with subtle brick-red highlights at the rim of the disc, a testament to its gentle evolution.

Nose
Rich and nuanced, the nose opens onto aromas of well-ripened red and black fruits, evoking cherry jam, blackcurrant and blackberry. With aeration, it reveals elegant floral notes of rose, intertwined with tertiary touches of leather, musk, black pepper and herbaceous tobacco. The whole is underpinned by a characteristic minerality reminiscent of damp gravel.

Palate
Supple and round, the palate offers a medium body that is both lively and spicy. It is built on a powerful tannic structure, now beautifully integrated with age, alongside a generous acidity that brings great freshness. The whole extends into a persistent and harmonious finish.

Food and Wine Pairings

This red wine pairs wonderfully with grilled, roasted or slow-cooked meats, such as ribeye steak, duck breast or beef bourguignon. It also goes very well with firm-fleshed fish such as tuna or swordfish, as well as flavourful cheeses and chocolate desserts.

Serving and Ageing

To fully appreciate this 1999 vintage, it is recommended to serve it at a temperature of around 16°C. Decanting it an hour before serving will allow it to reveal all its elegance and aromatic complexity.

A Delicate, Beautifully Structured Red Wine from Pessac-Léognan

The Estate

Founded in 1234 by the monks of the Abbaye Sainte-Croix, Château Carbonnieux is one of the oldest estates in Bordeaux, France. Acquired in 1956 by Marc Perrin, it is now run by the fourth generation, represented by Éric, Philibert and Christine Perrin. Located at the heart of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, the estate spans a single, unbroken vineyard of around one hundred hectares. Remarkably, the estate holds Grand Cru Classé de Graves status for both its red and white wines, reflecting a long-standing expertise and a certified commitment to sustainable practices.

The Vineyard

Located on the left bank of the Garonne, the vineyard extends over a remarkable plateau of Garonne gravel resting on a clay-limestone subsoil. Divided into 119 plots, this Pessac-Léognan terroir benefits from exceptional natural drainage and a microclimate tempered by the neighbouring forest. The estate practises traditional, environmentally friendly viticulture, free of herbicides, and is certified High Environmental Value (HVE) and ISO 14001, fostering biodiversity and soil vitality.

The Vintage

1999 is recognised as a particularly well-balanced vintage in the Bordeaux region. The climatic conditions of this growing season allowed the grapes to reach optimal ripeness, yielding fruit that combined fine aromatic richness with a harmonious structure, free of any excessive concentration.

Winemaking and Ageing

This wine is the result of an extremely rigorous plot-by-plot selection. The grapes undergo a slow, gentle extraction in tanks to preserve the roundness of the fruit and the mineral expression of the terroir. The wine is then carefully aged in high-quality French oak barrels, lending subtle toasted and vanilla notes to the final blend.

Grape Varieties

This wine comes from a blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by Merlot.