2016 Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan - 6x75cl
06B6CARM6PK _ 2016 - Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan - 6x75cl
  • Colour Red
  • Producer Château les Carmes Haut-Brion
  • Region Pessac-Léognan
  • Grape Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Drinking 2021 - 2033
  • Case size 6x75cl
  • Available Now

2016 - Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan - 6x75cl

  • Colour Red
  • Producer Château les Carmes Haut-Brion
  • Region Pessac-Léognan
  • Grape Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Drinking 2021 - 2033
  • Case size 6x75cl
  • Available Now
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Pricing Info
Case price: £847.24 Duty Paid inc VAT
Case price: £690.00 In Bond
Please note: This wine is available for immediate delivery.
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Pricing

  • IN BOND prices exclude UK Duty and VAT. Wines can be purchased In Bond for storage in Private Reserves or another bonded warehouse, or for export to non-EU countries. Duty and VAT must be paid before delivery can take place.

  • RETAIL prices include UK Duty and VAT. Wines for UK delivery can only be purchased this way.

Additional Information

  • Duty Paid wines have been removed from Bond and cannot subsequently be returned to Bond.  VAT is payable on Duty Paid wines. These wines must remain Duty Paid but can be purchased as such for storage subject to VAT.

  • En Primeur wines can only be purchased In Bond. On arrival in the UK these wines can either be stored In Bond in Private Reserves or another bonded warehouse or delivered directly to you. When you decide to take delivery, Duty and VAT at the prevailing rate become payable.

  • Goedhuis, April 2017, Score: 93-95

    This extraordinary walled 5 hectare estate in the suburbs of Bordeaux is as unique in style to Pessac-Léognan as Tertre Rôteboeuf is to St Emilion. The vineyard itself is a little sun trap, some 2 degrees warmer than its illustrious neighbour Haut-Brion. The result is a wine uniquely high in Cabernet Franc for the Graves (40%) and one of stunning juicy succulence. Using a proportion of whole bunch fermentation creates a very supple style, with perfumed fruit flavours and delicate tannic structure. Totally unlike any other wine in the appellation, but extremly delicious. DR

  • Neal Martin, January 2019, Score: 96

    The 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was deeply impressive out of barrel. Now in bottle, does it meet my admittedly high expectations? Yes. Quite deep in color, it delivers the same intense and disarmingly pure bouquet it exhibited during en primeur, offering blackberry, kirsch, fig and pressed iris flowers and wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied, the new oak still prominent but sutured into the fabric of the fruit. There is a discreet sprinkling of cracked black pepper, and the finish is controlled and correct when it might easily have overreached with something more brash. This will age with style, but be warned, it will require several years in the cellar. 2024 - 2050

  • Neal Martin, April 2017, Score: 95-97

    The 2016 Les Carmes Haut Brion is a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot, with 13.8% alcohol and a pH of 3.55, the lowest acidity for many years. It was vinified in their Philippe Starck-designed "submarine" (this is what their aesthetically arresting winery looks like as it surfaces in the Bordeaux city suburbs!) with 48% whole berry fruit. Winemaker Guillaume Pouthier (ex-Chapoutier) showed me a large inflatable ring used to submerge the cap to create more of an "infusion" rather than a maceration. The 2016 is matured in 65% new oak, 30% one year old and 5% in amphora. It has a very pure, very attractive bouquet with ample blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry and fresh fig aromas, a little more extravagant than some other Pessac-Léognan 2016s, yet it maintains impressive control and focus. It develops more pressed flower aromas with time. The palate is medium-bodied with tannins that gently grip the mouth, tertiary notes on the entry, fine acidity vis-à-vis the fruit, then a slight tarriness towards the broody black fruit on the saline, marine-influenced finish. It is an intriguing take on the vintage, classic in style like many others, detailed with impressive complexity. You know, it is not a million miles away from Lafleur in Pomerol, but in the same sense, it will require a decade in bottle to show what it can do. It is a new benchmark for this estate with big ambitions. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink Date 2026 - 2050

  • Antonio Galloni, January 2019, Score: 98

    The 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Breathtaking in its beauty, the 2016 soars from the glass with stunning aromatic and flavor intensity. Red cherry jam, wild flowers, mint, blood orange and sage are some of many notes that develop. In the glass, the 2016 is a vivid, statuesque, exotic wine that takes over all the senses as it delivers tons of pure pleasure. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2016 for at least a few years, but that will be virtually impossible. The 2016 is a towering masterpiece from Les Carmes Haut-Brion and Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier. Tasted three times. 2024 - 2056

  • Antonio Galloni, April 2017, Score: 94-97

    The 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the most distinctive wines of the vintage. A wine of real depth and density, it possesses stunning richness and intensity in all of its dimensions. The high proportion of Cabernet Franc and the 50% whole clusters give notable aromatic lift, saline intensity and drive. Ample, full-throttle and unapologetically intense, Les Carmes Haut-Brion is once again superb. Tasted three times.

  • James Suckling, April 2017, Score: 96-97

    Extremely long and erudite with crushed stones, blackberries and blueberries. Hints of fresh herbs. Full-bodied, tight and polished. The balance and beauty are amazing. Salty and minerally. More polished than the 2015. Wait and see. From biodynamic grapes.

  • Decanter, April 2017, Score: 95

    Slowly but surely, Carmes Haut-Brion is moving from being 'an estate to watch' to one that has fully arrived. This gives the appearance of effortless extraction, where the vibrant black fruits seem artfully placed along the palate, fleshed out with liquorice, dark chocolate, graphite and violet notes. This has the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc on the left bank, and it can be austere at en primeur, but in this vintage the fresh fruit reads as juiciness and persistency. I love it, what a stunning wine, and what a testament to the benefits of investing in terroir. Biodynamic farming also, although not certified. Tasted at the château and again with the UGCs. Technical director Guillaume Pouthier used a good amount of whole bunch pressing, over 20%, because he felt the stalks were ripe.

  • Matthew Jukes, April 2017, Score: 18+

    A superb wine, with thoroughbred tannins and perfectly judged fruit, this is a wonderful success for Les Carmes Haut-Brion in 2016 and unlike previous vintages where everything seems slightly forced and dense, this is a wine with an effortless feel and I like it all the more.

  • Jancis Robinson, April 2017, Score: 17

    Dark crimson. Sumptuous texture if not that much flavour at present. Very round and gorgeous with lovely Graves freshness on the finish. Very glossy and winning. Nicely managed tannins. Drink 2024-2040

  • Tim Atkin, May 2017, Score: 94

    Serious and dense, especially when contrasted with the second wine, this comes from soils with a higher percentage of clay. Focused, concentrated and made for the longer haul, it’s smoky, rich and compact, with plush dark berry fruit and layered tannins. 2026-38

Producer

Château les Carmes Haut-Brion

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the tiniest and least known Pessac Leognans. Only a fraction over 4.5 hectares, it is superbly placed - a stone's throw from Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion. Many believe Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is close to the style of its neighbours as the terroir is basically the same. Due to the minute quantities produced, it is not the easiest wine to find and is sought after the world...Read more

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the tiniest and least known Pessac Leognans. Only a fraction over 4.5 hectares, it is superbly placed - a stone's throw from Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion. Many believe Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is close to the style of its neighbours as the terroir is basically the same. Due to the minute quantities produced, it is not the easiest wine to find and is sought after the world over.Read less

Region

Pessac-Léognan

Stretching from the rather unglamorous southern suburbs of Bordeaux, for 50 km along the left bank of the river Garonne, lies Graves. Named for its gravelly soil, a relic of Ice Age glaciers, this is the birthplace of claret, despatched from the Middle Ages onwards from the nearby quayside to England in vast quantities. It can feel as though Bordeaux is just about red wines, but some sensational white wines are produced in this area from a blend of sauvignon blanc, Semillon and, occasionally, muscadelle grapes, often fermented and aged in barrel. In particular, Domaine de Chevalier is renowned for its superbly complex whites, which continue to develop in bottle over decades. A premium appellation, Pessac-Leognan, was created in 1987 for the most prestigious terroirs within Graves. These are soils with exceptional drainage, made up of gravel terraces built up in layers over many millennia, and consequently thrive in mediocre vintages but are less likely to perform well in hotter years. These wines were appraised and graded in their own classification system in 1953 and updated in 1959, but, like the 1855 classification system, this should be regarded with caution and the wines must absolutely be assessed on their own current merits.

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