Chateau Carbonnieux is one of Bordeaux’s oldest estates, with documented history back to 1234. Benedictine monks famously marketed their white wine to the Sultan of Constantinople as “Mineral Water of Carbonnieux” to circumvent alcohol prohibitionand Thomas Jefferson visited during his 1787 Bordeaux tour. The Perrin family has owned the estate since 1956 and now farms nearly 100 hectares on a mosaic of gravel, sand, limestone, and clay. Carbonnieux holds the rare distinction of being classified Cru Class for both red and white wines. This 2016 white is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Smillon, aged 10 months with 25% new oak. At nearly a decade old, it has developed beautifully: citrus, herbs, and a saline finish, with the structure that distinguishes great white Graves.