Château Les Carmes Haut Brion does things differently in Bordeaux. From vineyards inside the city limits, maverick Guillaume Pouthier has turned this formerly little-known property into a leading light of Pessac-Léognan. Carmes Haut Brion tastes like nothing else from Bordeaux and few wines made anywhere offer such a combination of energy, balance, depth and sheer drinkability.
Pouthier worked at Chapoutier before returning to Bordeaux in 2012 to take over at Les Carmes. A ball of energy, curiosity and seemingly inexhaustible enthusiasm, much is written about his winemaking techniques though he understands, first and foremost, the importance of the vineyards: his approach to vineyard management is as assiduous and enterprising as his work in the winery. The work with the vines is what allows him his pioneering approach in the cellar.
From Michel Chapoutier – another winemaker of both vision and energy - he brought the elements that have given this property its now idiosyncratic style. Whole-bunch fermentation is a big topic of conversation at the property, but while it does impart the signature fragrance and drinkability to this wine, there is much more going on than makes the headlines. Submerged cap fermentations, gentle handling and carefully controlled oxygen intake give the wines a combination of structure, silkiness and purity of fruit that few can achieve. Cabernet Franc is part of the signature, picked just at the point of ripeness, though without excess, to add to the purity and elegance of the wines. In the vineyard they work the soils according to the conditions throughout the vintage, managing hydric stress and nutrient density with varied cover crops. The added warmth of a vineyard that is actually within the city of Bordeaux is managed with year-round farming modifications, harvest dates and winemaking techniques all tailored to keep things fresh.
The 2023 is a testament to that work. The 2023 vintage is becoming a favourite here at Farr, and might just be the dark horse of the past few years. The wines are not heady or heavy as in some of the hottest recent vintages; instead there is fragrance, poise and balance to them. The best are wines with weightless intensity and fruit that is neither too ripe nor edgy and green. They remind us in some ways of a modern 2001, a vintage that flew under the radar until the wines started to mature.
Les Carmes 2023 is brilliant. We tasted it recently at the office and though it is obviously a very young wine, it is remarkably already delicious to drink. This is a wine that will not shut down but instead offer a slow evolution to please all drinkers from now for the next 20-30+ years depending on their preference. The Wine Advocate's Yohan Castaing writes that it is "defined by a tensile structure and a crystalline precision that gives the wine remarkable clarity" in his 98 point review. James Suckling gives it the same score "already so delicious", while Thomas Parker MW says it "delivers everything you could want from this unique property".
We have a parcel of the 2023 immediately available for delivery, packed in six bottle wooden cases.
Guillaume Pouthier and his team have once again crafted one of Bordeaux's most unique and characterful wines. Revealing aromas of mulberries and raspberries mingled with notions of vine smoke, orange zest, rose petals and spices, the 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with a powerful, vibrant and complete mid-palate, concluding with a long, ethereal and mouthwateringly saline finish. Sensual, suave and seamless, its beautifully refined tannins are, analytically, more abundant than even those of the 2022 vintage, yet they are so brilliantly integrated as to be near-imperceptible. This blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot is crafted for longevity, though its refined structure will make it surprisingly approachable at an early age. It's maturing 70% in new oak barrels, 20% in 18-hectoliter foudres and 10% in amphorae. A creditable yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare represents a decided agronomic success in what was a challenging growing season.
A brilliant showing for such a young wine, the 2023 Carmes Haut Brion delivers everything you could want from this unique property. A vivid ruby-purple in the glass, the nose is very expressive and open, layering graphite and berry fruit, rosemary and thyme, a touch of wood spice and some glossy cassis altogether. You can feel the Cabernet Franc crunch and the aromatic benefits of whole-bunch. The palate is slick, supple, and so finely balance. The texture is completely smooth, making this an absolutely delicious wine to drink now. Fragrant and lifted yet redolent and silky in fruit, this is a perfectly balanced wine. Beautifully done, and a wine that you could drink at any time over the coming 20 plus years, with no need to wait. Excellent.
The 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is every bit as impressive as it was en primeur, if not more so. Silky and intensely aromatic, the 2023 boasts magnificent purity from start to finish. Dark red-toned fruit, mocha, lavender, rose petal and exotic spice notes abound. Vinification with 60% stems exalts aromatic intensity and brilliance. The 2023 is a magical wine in the making. (Drink between 2035-2073)
Aromas of spices, sweet tobacco, earth, tar, flint, rose petals, fresh basil and bay leaves come through clearly. Medium- to full-bodied with a tight and focused palate and open-grained tannins that are integrated and lightly dry. So savory, juicy and spicy. 60% whole-cluster fermentation. 50% cabernet franc, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. From organically grown grapes. Already so delicious but better in two or three years and well beyond.
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.
