The Couhins terroir possesses two major assets:
a gravely hillock and a clayey-calcareous parent-rock.
a gravely hillock and a clayey-calcareous parent-rock.
The gravely hillock
The gravely hilltop of Couhins is one of the culminating points (41 m) of Villenave d’Ornon and is naturally listed among the best terroirs of the appellation.
This is the perfect terroir for Cabernet-Sauvignon,
a varietal which thrives on water-stress, expressing its full potential.
This is the perfect terroir for Cabernet-Sauvignon,
a varietal which thrives on water-stress, expressing its full potential.
The clayey-calcareous parent-rock
The North-facing slope of Couhins is composed of a layer of clay resting on a limestone bed-rock.
These soils store rain-water later transferred to the plant during the dry season. Such conditions are perfect for Sauvignon.
These soils store rain-water later transferred to the plant during the dry season. Such conditions are perfect for Sauvignon.
The gravely stones were deposited by the rivers which preceded the river Garonne some 500 000 years ago. The rounded hilly terrain is the result of erosion.
The Northern slope of Couhins rests upon a bed-rock of asteriated limestone resulting from massive Stampian/Oligocene marine sedimentation, some 30 million years ago.
The Northern slope of Couhins rests upon a bed-rock of asteriated limestone resulting from massive Stampian/Oligocene marine sedimentation, some 30 million years ago.
