

Château Couhins Red
Owner / Operator : French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)
Director : Dominique Forget
Technical Manager : Matthew Arroyo
Consultant oenologists : Denis Dubourdieu and Valérie Lavigne
Marketing & Communication : Romain Baillou
A.O.C : Pessac-Léognan red
Area : 19 ha
Soil characteristics : Gravelly hilltop • Clay slope on a limestone base • Sand-clay zone
Grape varieties : 49% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
Density of planting : 6500 to 9100 vines/ha
Management of vines :
-Double Guyot pruning -Traditional ploughing four times -Integrated production -Optimization of soil/plant balance -Rationalized canopy management -Manual harvests with successive selective harvests in crates
-Double Guyot pruning -Traditional ploughing four times -Integrated production -Optimization of soil/plant balance -Rationalized canopy management -Manual harvests with successive selective harvests in crates
Vinification :
destemming, sorting table, crushing, manual punching down, rationalized pumping over, alcoholic fermentation between 25° and 28°C, maceration 26 days
destemming, sorting table, crushing, manual punching down, rationalized pumping over, alcoholic fermentation between 25° and 28°C, maceration 26 days
Maturing : 12 months in French oak barrels, 1/3 new barrels
Average annual production : 40,000 bottles
Tasting :