Château Les Carmes Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan
    Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion

    Château Les Carmes Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan, 2023

    96/100
    Inside Bordeaux
    96-98/100
    The Wine Independent
    94-96/100
    Vinous
    Available Vintages
    En primeur
    1. 2023

      6x75cl

      EP

      £456.00

    2. 2023

      1x3L

      EP

      £349.00

    Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

    Since Guillaume Pouthier moved to Carmes Haut Brion from Chapoutier, he has presided over a quiet revolution, turning this Pessac Leognan chateau into one of the most distinctive and sought after wines in Bordeaux. Using 60% whole bunch fermentations, Guillaume favours very passive extractions, "infusion" appears to be the key, with no pump overs or pigeage. This blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot offers gorgeous aromas of incense, spice, flowers and lots of crisp, detailed fruit: cassis, black cherry, notes of sweet earth, graphite, this is wonderfully perfumed with a delicate florality - so much intrigue. The palate is a clear continuation with layers of lovely, fresh, dark fruit, finely textured with exquisite detailing, it's full of bright, leafy fruit, mulberries and cherry. Our conversion is complete, we love this style of Carmes with its vertical character, impressive lift, tightly coiled fruit and gloriously suave tannins. Absolutely A grade.

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    Critic Reviews

    96-98/100
    Lisa Perrotti-Brown,
    The Wine Independent
    A blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot, Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2023 has a pH of 3.62. It was fermented with 60% whole bunches and it is aging in 70% new oak barrels, 20% new oak vats of 18 hl, and 10% amphorae. It has an opaque purple-black color and needs a little swirling and coaxing to bring out fabulously pure, well-defined notes of juicy black cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, ripe juicy blackberries, and licorice, leading to hints of tar, peonies, wet slate, and black olives, with a touch of Sichuan pepper. The light to medium-bodied palate is airy and refreshing, with a solid backbone of very fine-grained, prancing tannins and bold freshness supporting the pristine black fruit flavors, finishing long and minerally. I had to spend a good 15 minutes with this wine to allow it to grow: it is incredibly tight to begin but expands to become something powerful. A beguiling 2023 with fully ripe black fruit characters and a paradoxical airiness, it really makes your head spin in the best possible way!
    drinking window 2029 - 2050
    date of review 05/2024
    96/100
    Jane Anson,
    Inside Bordeaux
    Elderflower and peony aromatics, stunning inky plum colour that is very much a signature of Carmes, where it looks so enticing and ripe visually, and then on the palate you feel this constrasting vibrant lift and drinkablity. Back to the signature squid ink flavour that is the key marker of ripe Cabernet in the vintage, and here the grippy slate texture slows everything slows, slowly humming through the palate. Has a sappy, drinkablity, with crushed rose petals and salted cracker salinity. 60% whole cluster, harvest September 11 to 25. 3.6ph. Distinctive, intense, one for Carmes lovers to celebrate.
    drinking window 2030 - 2046
    date of review 05/2024
    94-96/100
    Neal Martin,
    Vinous
    The 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was picked September 11 to 25 with 60% whole bunch and more Cabernet Franc than usual. Aging was 70% in new barrels, 20% in 18-hectoliter foudres and 10% in amphorae. This offers plenty of dark berry fruit mixed with cedar and pinecones on the nose, very well defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, and the acidity is very well-judged. Just a soupçon of white pepper appears toward the finish. This is a much more succinct Les Carmes than the 2022, but it’s extremely harmonious and characterful.
    drinking window 2028 - 2048
    date of review 04/2024

    product details

    Specifications

    style:
    Red Wine
    Grape Variety:
    Cab Sauvignon Merlot
    abv:
    13%

    allergen information

    This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.