Carbonnieux is a walled estate at Léognan with a monastic past — Benedictines held it from the fifteenth century, and the story that its white wine once reached the Ottoman court labelled as mineral water has been repeated for three hundred years. The Perrin family bought the place in 1956 and rebuilt it. Note that in 1978 the label still read Graves; the Pessac-Léognan appellation was not created until 1987.
The red is Cabernet-led, grown on the deep gravel banks south of the city, and it carries a smoky, earthy edge that Médoc wines do not have. It is the style that used to be described as goût de terroir and is now just called Graves.
Nineteen seventy-eight was the vintage that turned around in August and finished in fine autumn weather, giving the Graves firm, savoury reds with good definition.
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Producer: Château Carbonnieux
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Vintage: 1978
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Appellation: Pessac-Léognan AOC
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Format: 75cl
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Region: Bordeaux, France
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Style: Red
Where it is likely to be now. Graves reds of this weight are usually gone by forty years, so this is a fragile bottle now — worth having for the year and the label rather than for what it will pour.
Who it suits. A forty-eighth birthday gift with a good story attached, and one of the more distinctive 1978s for someone who already drinks Bordeaux.
Condition. The merchant grades this bottle as good, with no faults recorded on the label, capsule or fill.
Provenance. Bought to order from a professional European merchant. We check fill, label and capsule when the bottle reaches us and photograph it before it ships.
Delivered in 7 to 10 working days, tracked. Transit cover can be added at checkout.
Sold as a collectible item, as seen. No guarantee is given on drinkability.
