Château Couhins

History

The first traces of the estate date back to the 17th century, with official documents the name "Bourdieu de La Gravette". At that time, the property belonged to Maître Alphonse Banchereau (a leading notary) and was not yet recognized under the name Couhins. When this notary acquired the land, he had some ten hectares at his disposal. hectares with a few vines.

In 1730, the estate passed into the hands of Jean-Baptiste Banchereau, the son. He changed the face of the estate, making it a more convivial and peaceful place to live. On the vineyard, he took a slightly closer interest than his predecessor, taking charge of the the promotion of the estate's wines. The estate enjoyed a golden age, only to sink unfortunately collapse a few decades later.

In 1805, a number of family quarrels arose over the estate's succession. estate. It was indeed a complex situation, as there were 9 Banchereau children. In the end, one of the daughters, Thérèse, inherited the estate in 1822. She would in 1832 to a friend of hers, who sold it in 1844. This buyer 3 years before putting it up for auction.
In 1847, it was bought by Antoine Pestré, then resold in 1855 to Antoine Lair... We stability wasn't really there.

It wasn't until 1883 that a little serenity returned with the arrival of Catherine Sérès, granddaughter of Antoine Lair and wife of Victor Hanappier. The château was restored and and embellished, especially the gardens. Both the Hanappiers and the Gasquetons (the two families in the 20th century) played a major role in the history of the estate, which they in every aspect... As early as 1959, the quality of the wines was recognized by the INAO by classifying the estate as a Crus Classés de Graves.

A new name

After a succession of difficult vintages and the death of Edouard Gasqueton, the domaine once again fell on hard times. Edouard's widow decided to uproot the vines but André Lurton saved a few remaining hectares. Another part was left to INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique).

In 1972, André Lurton bought 1.5 hectares of vines from this organization, creating Château Couhins-Lurton. In 1992, he acquired an entire estate, including the winery and outbuildings. and outbuildings. 6 years later, he embarked on a major redevelopment which, in 2002, saw the arrival of the first Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. sauvignon and merlot grapes.

This was the resurrection of the estate, which today covers 27 hectares (21 in red and 6 in white). red and 6 white). The grape varieties are Merlot (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon sauvignon (40%). Petit verdot and cabernet franc share the remaining surface area remaining surface area. In white, Sauvignon Blanc accounts for 90% of the surface area, with Sauvignon Gris gris at 10%.

Since 2010, these vines have been treated in a nature-friendly way. Le Château Couhins-Lurton has been awarded HVE (High Environmental certification, proof of the care taken throughout the year...