The name Carbonnieux is said to come from a family called "Carbonius" or Carbonnieu who cleared and cultivated land near Léognan at the beginning of the 13th century. The name Ramon Carbonnieu, the owner of vines at Léognan in 1234, is indeed mentioned in the archives of Bordeaux. The medieval origins of the estate were confirmed by a deed of exchange dated April 2, 1292 signed by two monks from the powerful Sainte-Croix abbey in Bordeaux. In 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II and so Aquitaine became part of the kingdom of England and was called Guyenne. Trade flourished, wine sales multiplied and Bordeaux prospered until the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). After this long troubled period which resulted in shortages, ruined harvests and epidemics, the Benedictine monks were forced to give up their Carbonnieux vineyard.
After the suffering of two World Wars, Bordeaux viticulture had reached its lowest ebb. There was a terrible frost in the winter of 1956 and it was in this same year that Marc Perrin who had bought the estate, set to work on the renovation of the château and its vineyard. With the help of his son, he first started a significant replanting campaign that took the estate to 45 hectares in 1970 then to 70 hectares in 1980, to reach almost 95 hectares today. When his father passed away, Antony took over, he built a new fermentation cellar and modernized the cellars to adapt to new vinification methods. He continued the restoration of the château and the vineyards and focused on increasing the renown of Carbonnieux and Bordeaux wines throughout the world. He was president of the “Union of Grands Crus de Bordeaux”, president of the “Crus Classés de Graves” as well as being one of the forerunners of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, created in 1987. Over the years he passed on the family winemaking heritage and his skills to his children Eric, Christine and Philibert Perrin. Today the torch has been passed on to them and once again the estate has reached a peak. In the footsteps of their father, Eric held the office of president of the "crus classés de Graves" between 2012 and 2015 and since 2017, Philibert has been that of president of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. In 2019, The family has grown, Eric's eldest sons join the work teams. Marc for a commercial part and Andréa as an oenologist in charge of the winemaking.
Information about Chateau Carbonnieux