Château Couhins-Lurton

Château Couhins-Lurton is a Bordeaux wine estate and wine brand located in Villenave-d'Ornon, in the Gironde department near Bordeaux, France. Its wines come from the Pessac-Léognan appellation, one of the best-known areas within the broader Graves wine region. The property is especially associated with dry white Bordeaux and belongs to the group of estates recognized in the 1959 Classification of Graves for classified dry white wines. The estate's identity is shaped by both its historic reputation and its later division and ownership changes. Château Couhins-Lurton was once a larger and celebrated property connected with the Gasqueton and Hanappier families. In 1968, the wider estate was acquired by France's Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, commonly known as INRA. André Lurton, who had worked at the property as a fermier from 1967, subsequently acquired a smaller portion of Château Couhins from INRA. That portion became the Château Couhins-Lurton estate associated with the Lurton name. The vineyard is divided between white- and red-wine plantings. Approximately six hectares are devoted entirely to Sauvignon Blanc for the estate's white wine production. A further 17.4 hectares are planted with red varieties, comprising approximately 77 percent Merlot and 23 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. This division gives the property a two-part product identity: a classified dry white Grand vin based on Sauvignon Blanc and a red Bordeaux wine built around Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon as a supporting variety. Château Couhins-Lurton is notable not only for its classification but also for its willingness to adopt alternative packaging technology. The 2003 vintage was released under a Stelvin screw-cap closure, making it the first classified Bordeaux wine reported to have been sealed with an alternative closure rather than a traditional cork. The decision was significant because cork had been strongly associated with premium Bordeaux presentation, while screw caps were still comparatively unusual for prestigious classified wines. The brand's positioning rests on estate provenance, Pessac-Léognan origin, Graves classification, and a strong association with Sauvignon Blanc. Its wines are marketed within the premium Bordeaux category, with the white Grand vin representing the estate's most distinctive classified offering. The property remains an active wine producer, although the available reference material does not provide current production volumes, pricing, distribution figures, or a detailed account of its present management structure.

Château Couhins-Lurton is a Bordeaux estate situated in Villenave-d'Ornon, close to the city of Bordeaux. It forms part of the Pessac-Léognan appellation and has a particularly strong historical association with dry white wine. The estate is included among the properties classified for dry white wine in the Classification of Graves established in 1959, a distinction that remains central to its identity and positioning. Before the modern ownership changes that shaped the present property, Château Couhins-Lurton was part of a larger and well-regarded estate associated with the Gasqueton and Hanappier families. The broader property changed hands in the postwar period when the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique acquired it in 1968. INRA's ownership reflected the importance of the site as both an agricultural property and a vineyard within the Bordeaux region. André Lurton had worked at the estate as a fermier beginning in 1967. After the INRA acquisition, he bought a smaller portion of Château Couhins from the institute. This transaction created the separate estate and brand known as Château Couhins-Lurton. The Lurton connection therefore comes from the acquisition of part of the former Couhins property rather than from the creation of an entirely new vineyard in a different location. The present vineyard structure is divided according to wine color and grape variety. About six hectares are planted exclusively with Sauvignon Blanc and provide the base for the estate's classified dry white Grand vin. The red vineyard covers approximately 17.4 hectares and is planted with 77 percent Merlot and 23 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The resulting portfolio combines a Sauvignon Blanc-led white Bordeaux, for which the estate is best known, with a red wine reflecting the traditional Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend of the region. A notable later development occurred with the 2003 vintage. Château Couhins-Lurton released that vintage using a Stelvin screw-cap closure. It was reported as the first classified Bordeaux wine to use an alternative closure at release. This choice distinguished the estate within the conservative premium Bordeaux market, where traditional cork closures had long been part of the product's presentation and aging image. The estate's historical importance consequently rests on several overlapping elements: its place in the Graves classification, its location within the modern Pessac-Léognan appellation, its transformation from a larger historic property into a smaller Lurton-controlled estate, and its early adoption of screw-cap packaging for a classified Bordeaux wine. Available reference material confirms ongoing production of white and red wines, but does not establish detailed current ownership arrangements, annual output, commercial performance, or a complete list of estate personnel.

1. 2003First classified Bordeaux wine released with screw cap

   The 2003 vintage was released with a Stelvin screw-cap closure and was reported as the first classified Bordeaux wine to use an alternative closure.

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2. 1968INRA acquires the larger Couhins estate

   The Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique acquired the broader Château Couhins property from the Gasqueton-Hanappier ownership.

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3. 1968André Lurton acquires a smaller portion

   André Lurton purchased a smaller portion of Château Couhins from INRA, forming the estate associated with the Château Couhins-Lurton name.

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4. 1967André Lurton begins work at the estate

   André Lurton worked at the property as a fermier, preceding his later acquisition of part of the estate.

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5. 1959Included in the Classification of Graves

   Château Couhins-Lurton was recognized among the Crus Classés for dry white wine in the Classification of Graves.

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A classified Pessac-Léognan estate positioned around premium Bordeaux terroir, estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc, and a historic dry-white-wine reputation, with a complementary Merlot- and Cabernet-Sauvignon-based red.

• Château Couhins-Lurton BlancClassified dry white Bordeaux wine

  The estate's principal and most distinctive offering is its classified dry white Grand vin from the Pessac-Léognan appellation. The white vineyard covers approximately six hectares and is planted entirely with Sauvignon Blanc. Its identity is tied to the property's status in the 1959 Classification of Graves for dry white wines and to the broader reputation of Pessac-Léognan for structured, age-worthy white Bordeaux. The 2003 release attracted particular attention for its Stelvin screw-cap closure.

• Château Couhins-Lurton RougeRed Bordeaux wine

  The estate also produces a red wine from approximately 17.4 hectares of red-grape plantings. The vineyard composition is approximately 77 percent Merlot and 23 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, giving the wine a conventional Pessac-Léognan red-Bordeaux varietal foundation. It complements the estate's better-known white Grand vin and broadens the brand's portfolio beyond classified Sauvignon Blanc-led production.

• 2003Adoption of a Stelvin screw-cap closureOther

  Premium classified Bordeaux wines were traditionally associated with cork closures, making an alternative closure an unusual choice for the estate.

  What changed. The 2003 Château Couhins-Lurton vintage was released with a Stelvin screw cap.

  Aftermath. The release was reported as the first classified Bordeaux wine to be sealed with an alternative closure, giving the vintage a distinctive place in Bordeaux packaging history.

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• 2003Château Couhins-Lurton releases a classified Bordeaux wine under screw cap

  The 2003 vintage became the first classified Bordeaux wine reported to have been released with a Stelvin screw-cap closure, marking an unusual packaging decision for a prestigious estate.

  OtherProduct generation
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1. Château Couhins-Lurton
2. Château Couhins-Lurton official website