- Colour Red
- Producer Château les Carmes Haut-Brion
- Region Pessac-Léognan
- Drinking 2024 - 2038
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available Now
2018 - Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan - 6x75cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Château les Carmes Haut-Brion
- Region Pessac-Léognan
- Drinking 2024 - 2038
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available Now
Select pricing type
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Goedhuis, April 2019, Score: 93-95
Les Carmes Haut Brion is a stand-alone property, neighbouring Haut-Brion. It is always a couple of degrees warmer than its illustrious neighbour, and the clay and limestone subsoil is well-suited to Cabernet Franc (39%) which delivers a fine balance and freshness. Vinification is always gentle and a percentage of the fruit is vinified as whole bunches. Cellar master Guillaume Pouthier believes this contributes to a more balanced and harmonious style of wine. Full of lovely plump generous plum fruit, this is a lively and fresh wine. The tannins for such a warm location are surprisingly shy but have a lovely sweetness to them. Very appealing and at 13.5% this is at the lower end of the alcohol spectrum for the vintage which will appeal to many.
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Neal Martin, March 2021, Score: 94+
The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was always going to be a wine that I would leave for 12–24 hours to monitor its evolution. It has a splendid bouquet of a mixture of blackberry, freshly rolled tobacco, autumn leaves and touches of brine. It is classic in style and showcases the Cabernet Franc element supremely well. The palate is in many ways uncompromising. The Cabernet is in full effect: herbaceous, with bell pepper and bitter cherry, quite tannic, and for the vintage, one of the most austere wines you will find in Bordeaux, let alone Pessac-Léognan. I personally find it to my taste, but it is not a wine for hedonists seeking bundles of juicy fruit. An intellectual Les Carmes for sure, one that leaves you pondering in which direction it will age. Drink 2024-2050
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Antonio Galloni, April 2019, Score: 95-98
The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the wines in this vintage that comes very close to its 2016 sibling. A wine of dazzling intensity and stature, Les Carmes Haut-Brion is simply magnificent. Rose petal, wild black cherry, sage, menthol, licorice and dried herbs add myriad shades of complexity to this explosive, dense wine. As always, Les Carmes is done with a fair amount of whole clusters, 40% in this case, but in 2018, the maturity is such that the stems are very well integrated into the wine's fabric. The blend is 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Wine Advocate, April 2019, Score: 94-96+
The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is composed of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot. It was made using 52% whole cluster and has 13.75% alcohol. It is anticipated to age 18-24 months in 75% new oak barriques, 16% foudres and 9% amphorae. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is slightly broody and reduced to begin, slowly growing to reveal notions of charcoal, smoked meats, truffles and tilled soil over a core of black raspberries, warm black cherries, blackberry coulis and redcurrant jelly plus wafts of Provence herbs and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and muscular, tense with latent energy, offering a rock-solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the bright, vibrant fruit, finishing long and mineral laced.
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James Suckling, April 2019, Score: 97-98
This is really exotic with peaches, oranges and blackberries. Full body, lovely purity of fruit and soft and integrated tannins that are barely detectable. Extremely long and persistent. Savory. White pepper and bark with black-tea and charcoal undertones. Superb complexity. 53 per cent whole-cluster fermentation.
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Decanter, April 2019, Score: 98
The march of Carmes Haut-Brion continues in 2018. Once again it stands out for a number of reasons: not least because of its high amount of Cabernet Franc, and also because it is made with 53% whole-bunch fermentation - a brave choice by winemaker Guillaume Poutier and one that pays off hugely in terms of balance and lean muscular build. Even without knowing any of the story behind the bottle, you would be hard-pressed to pass this wine by. It has obvious intensity but as you sit with it the softness and approachability of the tannins becomes apparent, helped by the inviting floral edge to the nose, adding peony and violet lift. The black fruits running through the palate are tight but silky and seductive - this has a higher Cab count than usual because the Merlots were more affected by the challenges of the vintage. The palate pulses, switching between richness and delicacy, feeling expertly handled. You get the feeling that you can relax - they've got everything covered! It will inevitably close down in a few years, but until then you could almost go for it with a good carafe. IPT95. Harvested 13-28 September. 3.58pH. Ageing is mostly in large oak casks, 76% new, plus 9% aged in amphorae. Drinking Window 2027 - 2042
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Matthew Jukes, April 2019, Score: 17.5+
Extremely exotic and perfumed on the nose this is a fabulously flamboyant wine and the oak is massive but also extremely enticing, too. The richness and depth of fruit is sensational and I love the overall balance, even though this is a rather heavy and muscular wine.
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Wine Spectator, April 2019, Score: 95-98
This throws off a stream of cassis, cherry preserves and raspberry fruit that is pure and bright, laced with a racy mineral edge through the finish. Stands apart from the pack for its purity and finesse. Really beautiful.
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.
