Wine Review: CHATEAU CARBONNIEUX

I went to my wine cellar (translation: the wine cooler in my den) last night feeling a bit indecisive. I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but I knew I was in the mood for something really flavorful. So there I stood for what seemed like an eternity “letting all the cold air out” as my mother would say if she were in the room, hunched over and scanning each shelf pensively like an insomniac on a midnight snack raid.

It usually doesn’t take me too long to select a bottle, and although I was looking for flavor, I wasn’t really sure that I was in the mood for anything heavy or big, or even anything red, so I decided on a white wine, and the one I finally chose was a white Bordeaux – a 2005 Chateau Carbonnieux to be exact.

I consider Sauvignon Blanc one of my favorite white wines and this particular gem is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, slightly different than its American cousin in that regard, but also different since domestic Sauvignon Blanc usually ferments and ages entirely in steel, while this particular wine ferments for 21 days in steel, and then spends the next 10 or so months aging in oak barrels. This wine has a nice balance of acidity and minerals, with a really nice finish. If you like notes of citrus, flowers, and a touch apple and butterscotch, this is the wine for you. Costs around $35 and definitely worth it.

This tasty bottle of wine hails from the Pessac-Léognan Appellation of Bordeaux. The Chateau dates back to the 12th century and after several centuries of turmoil – including being seized by revolutionaries in 1789, a Phylloxera outbreak in the 19th century, and a few World Wars – the estate has been in possession of its current owners since 1956. Check them out at www.carbonnieux.com for more information.