critic reviews
The 2015 Les Carmes Haut-Brion has a lifted, finely delineated nose with black cherry, wild mint and a dab of cough candy in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with plush tannins, but there is structure behind that slightly glossy façade. This has gentle grip and the right amount of black pepper that lends complexity on the finish. It just requires a bit of time. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting at Farr Vintners.
The succulent depth and width to this wine is clear as soon as your nose hovers over the glass. Concentrated tannins hum underneath a more sculpted aerian side of fragrant peonies and raspberry leaf that take off through the palate. This was a warm vintage and we are on a warm site here, and yet you feel a freshness, with crushed mint leaf and juicy cranberry that belies the vintage and speaks to deft winemaking. This is the point at which Carmes begins to fully take on its own personaity that is not necessarily reflective of the appellation as a whole. 3.7ph, 40% new oak.
The 2015 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a blend of 44% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 24 months in 80% new and 20% one-year-old oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it has pronounced notes of crushed black and red currants, warm blackberries and black pepper with touches of cedar chest, pencil lead and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, very fine and with plenty of black and red fruit layers, it has a plush backbone and seamless acid, finishing earthy.