Château Couhins: Vineyards
Château Couhins is located in Villenave d’Ornon, one of the most northerly of all the communes of the Pessac-Léognan appellation. Looking at aerial maps of the commune today it is given over almost entirely to suburban housing, although looking back at old editions of Cocks et Féret there were once numerous estates to be found here. Those that survive, such as Château Couhins, Château Couhins-Lurton and Château Carbonnieux all sit on the very southern periphery of the commune, next to Léognan and Cadaujac. Other neighbours, all located to the south of the estate, also include Château Haut-Vigneau and Château Bouscaut.
The estate amounts to 45 hectares, more-or-less what the INRA acquired from the sale in the 1970s, and of this the area planted to the vine has grown from 2 hectares to 25 hectares. There are 6 hectares dedicated to white varieties, mostly Sauvignon Blanc but there is a small percentage of Sauvignon Gris, as well as some recently-planted Semillon which has yielded enough fruit for commercial use only since the 2013 vintage. There are 19 hectares planted to the red vines, the usual mix of Bordeaux varieties.
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