Chateau Couhins Pessac Leognan Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Couhins, Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux with wine tasting notes and wine and food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property and information on winemaking and vineyards. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Couhins History, Overview

The name Chateau Couhins came about in the 17th century. It’s based on an ancient Gascon word, Couhins, meaning borders or limits. Edouard Gasqueton who also owned Chateau Calon Segur in St. Estephe managed Chateau Couhins at the time of the 1959 Graves Classification.

Chateau Couhins is probably the sole Bordeaux estate that was only classified for its white Bordeaux wine. Today, Chateau Couhins is not to be confused with Chateau Couhins-Lurton, owned by the Lurton family, which produces both red and white wine from Pessac Leognan.

In 1968, the original Couhins vineyard was divided into two parts. The Lurton family retained control of half the estate, renaming it Couhins-Lurton. The remaining portion of the property continued as Chateau Couhins which was sold in 1969 to the INRA, National Institute for Agricultural Research.

The INRA is involved in many facets of scientific research related to grape growing. Most recently, the INRA has become a leader in vineyard environmental protection as well as pest management in the vines.

In 2009, a complete renovation of the chateau was completed, turning the estate into one of the most modern-looking structures in the Bordeaux wine regions. The futuristic, green, energy-efficient building, designed by the architects Lanoire and Courrian is completely covered in what looks like polished mirrors.

The exterior of Chateau Couhins is not the only modernization taking place at the estate. In 2009, Chateau Couhins became one of the first proponents utilizing infra-red readings which allow for the measurement of the polyphenol content found in the grapes.

The following year, in 2010, Chateau Couhins began participating with several other vintners in the EMS approach, Environmental Management System.

In a continuing effort at modernization and testing new technologies, Chateau Couhins became one of the first Bordeaux wine produces to begin using GPS positioning technology in their vineyards allowing them to keep track of the progress of every vine, one at a time.

Chateau Couhins Vineyard, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 32-hectoliter vineyard of Chateau Couhins is divided so that 22 hectares are planted for red wine grapes and 10 hectares are reserved for white wine grapes. In 2022, Chateau Couhins was certified as being 100% Organic.

For the red wine grapes, the vineyard is planted with 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. For the white wine grapes, the vineyard is planted to 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Sauvignon Gris. However, this is changing. In 2023 Chateau Couhins planted 1.5 hectares with Semillon. It is expected that the Semillon should start appearing in the blend as early as 2030. The terroir is gravel, clay, and limestone soils.

To produce the red wines of Chateau Couhins, the Pessac Leognan estate carries out a pre-fermentation maceration that takes between 4 to 5 days. The major part of the extraction process and the pumping over takes place during the pre-fermentation and fermentation stages. The wine is vinified in traditional oak vats and stainless steel and aged in an average of 30% new, French oak barrels and foudres.

To produce the white wine of Chateau Couhins, the grapes are placed inside a cold room that is kept between 6 and 8 degrees Celsius overnight. The next day, the berries are either crushed directly or most often they are de-stemmed before vatting takes place and the maceration starts. Fermentation takes place in a mix of 60% thermoregulated vats and 40%, French oak barrels from Burgundy.

Chateau Couhins produces 8,000 cases of red wine and 4,000 cases of white wine per year. Previously, the second wine was called Couhins La Gravette for both the red and white wines. Today, the wine is sold under the name of La Dame de Couhins for the red and white wine.

The Best Vintages of Chateau Couhins are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, and 2000. Although it is important to note that vintages can vary as to their quality between the white wine and the reds with as in some years, the reds are markedly better and in other vintages the whites are superior.

When to Drink Chateau Couhins, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Couhins can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Couhins is usually better with at least 3-6 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Couhins offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 6-12 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Couhins, with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Couhins is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. The red wine of Chateau Couhins is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.

Chateau Couhins is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta as well as cheese. The white wine of Chateau Couhins is a perfect wine to serve with shellfish, sashimi, sushi, all types of seafood, chicken, veal, and cheese.

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