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Chateau Carbonneau Sequoia Rouge 22
$25.99
Tasty Bordeaux Rouge from importer Kate Stamps
In stock: 34 available
Chateau Carbonneau Sequoia Rouge 22
Product Details
Brand: Bordeaux Blend
Some of our favorite wine discoveries come through people we know. Château Carbonneau Séquoia 2022 is another wine brought to us by our friend and former AWM staff member Kate Stamps, owner of Rise Over Run. There’s something especially satisfying about that local-to-global connection: someone who once helped our customers choose a bottle now introduces us to the families growing and making wine thousands of miles away. This week, Kate takes us to a less familiar corner of Bordeaux, and a property with a few international connections of its own.
Château Carbonneau lies near Gensac, between Saint-Émilion and Bergerac, in the Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux appellation at Bordeaux’s eastern edge. The château was built in 1860, with an elegant glass conservatory added around 1900. A magnificent giant sequoia stands in front of the house, giving this tasty red its name. This wonderful local-global connection gives us a more personal introduction to Bordeaux than the region’s famous names and lofty reputations normally allow.
The family’s story spans continents, linking France and New Zealand. In 1937, Harold and Claude Ray purchased the Carbonneau estate after returning from New Zealand; their daughter Olga later married Jean Franc de Ferrière. The modern chapter began in 1992, when their son Wilfrid and his New Zealand-born wife, Jacquie, took over the property. By then, much of its agricultural activity centered on dairy cattle and cereal crops. Restoring wine production meant replanting vineyards, improving the cellar, and renovating the château. This substantial undertaking led to their first vintage in 1996. Today, Wilfred and Jacquie’s children have stepped up to take an active hand in shaping the estate. Pierre leads the winemaking and tends the farm and its animals, Hugo handles sales, and Margot works with Jacquie on hospitality.
Vineyards grow on clay-limestone soils with south to southwest-facing slopes, while cattle contribute compost for the vineyards. In the cellar, the approach includes destemming, a short cold soak before fermentation, and roughly a year in older French oak barrels. The emphasis is on developing texture and complexity while keeping fruit at the center of the wine.
In your glass, Séquoia 2022 brings together a mélange of red and dark berry fruit with notes of clove and warm spice. The palate is generous and fleshy, supported by smooth tannins, with dark fruit carrying through a long finish with just a hint of toast. It has enough structure to feel at home on the dinner table, but its rounded texture makes it an inviting Bordeaux you can enjoy now or hold in the cellar.
For a classic Bordeaux pairing, think rosemary-and-garlic roast lamb, grilled steak with mushrooms, or a slow-cooked beef braise. For a more adventurous direction, we’d love it alongside five-spice pork shoulder with roasted sweet potatoes, tea-smoked duck, or roasted mushrooms and lentils with a light miso glaze.
