Château Corbin: Vineyards
In the northern and western peripheries of the St Emilion appellation is where we find the Corbin secteur, and all those estates that declare their allegiance to it. Here the vineyard is bounded by the course of the Barbanne to the north, and the vineyards of Pomerol to the west. Château Corbin sits looking northwards across the vineyards, with Château Grand Corbin Manuel and Château Grand Corbin to the immediate east, and Château Corbin Michotte to the immediate west. More famous names are also close by, including Château Chauvin to the southeast, Château Ripeau to the south, and Château Jean Faure, Château La Dominique and Château Cheval Blanc to the southwest and west.
The vineyard exists in a single black alosely approximated to the château, extending across two distinctive terroirs. The first part is directly around the château itself, where the soils are comprised of ancient sands laid down on a ferruginous clay subsoil. The second part, which lies more closely approximated to the boundary with Pomerol, is planted on a more clay-rich soil.
The vineyards were upgraded with a new drainage system installed under the direct of Annabelle Cruse-Bardinet in 2004, and it has been extensively replanted in recent years. Perhaps one-third of the vineyard has been turned over to more modern clones and rootstocks, with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.
