| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This small (7.82 hectare) property is planted with 35% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Franc and 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and has a stylish new winery designed by Philippe Starck. Winemaker Guillaume Pouthier previously worked at Chapoutier in the Rhône, and regularly uses up to half whole bunch fermentation. This is currently one of Bordeaux's hottest properties and when we said to Guillaume that the style reminded us of Jamet Côte Rôtie he understood that this was high praise indeed from Farr Vintners!
The yield in 2022 was 41 hl/ha (down 15% on 2021). There was 70% whole bunch used (the highest ever) which has helped keep the alcohol down to 13.5%. It is 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot with all varieties co-fermented. The harvest commenced on September 5th.
The 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the finest wine bottled to date at this estate under Patrice Pichet's ownership and Guillaume Pouthier's direction. Unfurling from the glass with aromas of violet, iris, dark wild berries, pencil lead and mulberries, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated with a deep core of fruit beautifully framed by velvety, precise tannins, segueing into a long, saline and perfumed finish. Suave and harmonious, it was crafted with 70% whole bunches and matured in 70% new oak. This unconventional blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot represents a turning point for the estate, cementing its rapid ascendancy in the Bordeaux firmament. 2032 - 2062
The purity and focus here is impressive with blackcurrants, crushed stones and floral undertones. The whole-bunch character comes through clearly with rose-stem and floral aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, this is always so delicious but has lots of integrated, open-grained tannins. 70% whole-cluster fermentation. 40% cabernet franc, 34% cabernet sauvignon and 26% merlot. Idiosyncratic. So attractive now but will age beautifully.
Deep and brooding, this wine is beautifully floral with violets, irises and peonies alongside ripe black cherries, liquorice and dark chocolate. Concentrated yet bursting with energy, it flows effortlessly. Vibrant red fruits – strawberry, cherry, raspberry – sit atop a mineral backbone of saline, wet stones. Crisp yet powdery tannins and bright acidity give incredible tension. Despite its depth, it feels almost weightless, so drinkable yet built to age. Pure, pristine and vibrant, with no trace of heat – just balance and finesse. A true expression of place. A sure-fire hit. 70% whole bunch fermented. Two years ageing, 80% new oak, 10% big 20hl vats, 10% amphora. 3.55 pH.
I think one of the legendary wines in the vintage will be the 2022 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, which comes from a tiny vineyard not far from Haut-Brion and is based on 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Merlot, vinified with 70% whole clusters, and aged 70% in new barrels, 20% in foudre, and 10% in amphora. Despite mostly being not destemmed, you wouldn't know it by tasting it. It has a classic bouquet of ripe blackberries, cassis, leafy herbs, graphite, and violets, while in contrast, the C Des Carmes Haut-Brion, which is vinified with just 30% stems, is clearly marked more by its stems. Full-bodied, concentrated, beautifully balanced, and with a rare mix of purity, freshness, and power, it's going to rival the 2018 as one of the finest vintages ever produced from this address. It's worth noting this estate has a unique terroir in Pessac that includes some limestone in the soils, and this worked particularly well in 2022. Don't miss this wine.
The 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion contains the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (34%) in recent years, with 40% Cabernet Franc and 26% Merlot. It aged for two years in 80% new barrels, 10% foudres and 10% sandstone amphora. This is the first year with 100% infusion during vinification. It includes 70% whole cluster. This is very complex on the nose, as it showed in barrel, displaying blackberry mixed with wild hedgerow, pencil box and hints of cracked black pepper in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with quite elegant tannins, although the IPT is 95. Extremely well balanced, it is quite saline in the mouth with white pepper developing with aeration. The 2022 is very persistent on the finish. This is an intellectual Les Carmes Haut-Brion that will drink young, but there is clearly the substance to mature over many years. 13.2% alcohol. 2030 - 2070
The transformation at Carmes Haut Brion is one of the most impressive anywhere in Bordeaux over the last decade. The 2022 might represent the best yet, though there is stiff competition in recent vintages. Blueish purple in the glass, the nose is intense and idiosyncratic, full of black pepper, rosemary, blueberries and fragrant pressed flowers. The palate follows in the same vein, with supreme lift giving floral overtones and fresh, juicy blueberry and red cherry fruit. There is a hit of graphite, rosemary and dried herbs, together with the subtlest hints of savoury spice. There is real gloss to the tannins here - as in every recent vintage at Carmes - these wines are designed not to shut down and drink beautifully in their youth as well as in maturity. Fans of Domaine Jamet in Côte Rôtie (like me) will love this wine, there is more than a nod to the northern Rhône in the fragrance and winemaking style. But the Cabernets (Franc and Sauvignon) and Merlot offer something different in fruit profile and structure. I expect the successes of the pioneering experiments made at this estate will expand further around Bordeaux in coming years. This is an outstanding, bold and unique take on Pessac-Léognan.
The 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 26% Merlot, 90% aging in oak (70% new barriques, 20% 18hl casks) and 10% in amphoras. Deep garnet-purple in color, it pops out of the glass with lifted notes of redcurrant jelly, wild blueberries, blackcurrant pastilles, and lavender, leading to cerebral wafts of cast-iron pan, dark chocolate, and dusty soil with a hint of licorice. The red and black berry flavors do pirouettes on the medium-bodied palate, featuring incredibly fine-grained tannins and fantastic tension that gives a shimmer to the very long mineral-laced finish. As usual, the alcohol is 13.5% (the stem inclusion absorbs some of the alcohol during fermentation) and the pH is 3.64. This is a vibrant, showy, immediately impactful wine that flies in the face of traditional Bordeaux, carrying it off with bags of grace and style. A slight carbonic character from the whole bunch juxtaposed by a rock-solid structure thanks to the ripe stem tannins creates a unique signature. I personally love it, but if you're a Bordeaux purest, this might not be your cup of tea.
Intense ruby colour, careful extraction. Love this, less in the style of the vintage in terms of exuberance than many, with a trace of austerity to the architecture. Has keeps its distinct character, showing mint leaf, crushed rose petals, vivid with a purity of fruit expression. The 70% limestone is distinctive, the high Cabernet Franc is distinctive, and the choices they make in the cellar underline these distinctions. Guillaume Pouthier director, Guillaume Deschepper technical director. First year ageing, with 70% new oak, second year move into larger oak casks and 10% amphoras. 70% whole cluster.
40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot. 70% whole bunch. Cask sample.
Deep crimson colour. Slightly reserved aromatically but floral notes (lily, iris) as it opens. Dense with a beautifully suave texture, the tannins powerful but refined. Luscious but fresh and long on the finish, the oak (70% new barrels) completely absorbed. Both seductive and restrained. Marked freshness for the year. Will need to check the evolution. (JL) 13.5%
Drink 2028– 2047
The remarkable 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. It's also one of the most singular, characterful wines being produced in the region today. Unfurling in the glass with complex aromas of blackberries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, orange zest, pencil lead, rose petals and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a velvety attack that segues into a layered, seamless and multidimensional mid-palate framed by rich, powdery tannins. Pure, perfumed and penetrating, this blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot is a brilliant success that caps a decade of relentless work by Guillaume Pouthier and his team that have seen Les Carmes Haut-Brion emerge as one of Bordeaux's leading estates. It checks in at a mere 13.5% alcohol, with a very healthy pH of 3.64.
An exceptional wine in 2022 by winemaker Guillaume Pouthier who has delivered a supremely drinkable, likeable and harmonious wine that perfectly balances fruit density, aromatic expressiveness, lively acidity and a less is more approach. Intensely fragrant on the nose, nuanced and expressive, open and beguiling with rose, jasmine, bramble fruit, red cherry, liquorice and slate. Tense and a touch strict on the palate, electric and thrilling with bright acidity and tannins that come in and give weight and texture to the frame. Crushed velvet, smooth and salty, not plump or overly plush, instead well defined, focussed and precise. Silky, elegant with crystalline purity. A beautiful style married to a philosophy that works in hot vintages using whole bunch fermentation to lower the alcohol and give freshness to the wine. A standout success and a wine we’re going to want to finish. 3.64ph. 70% whole cluster. Ageing 70% new barrels, 20% 18hl casks, 10% amphoras.
The 2022 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was picked 5-20 September with 70% whole bunches (three vats contained 100% whole cluster that was cofermented), matured in 70% new oak, 20% in 18hL casks and 10% in amphora. It underwent a long, six-week infusion in the vat at a maximum 26° Celsius, just over a week longer than usual. It is extremely precise on the nose with blackberry, briary, crushed stone and hints of curry leaf. The palate is just beautiful. Sculpted tannins, fine-boned, lending this Les Carmes unerring symmetry and focus. This is loaded with mineral-laden dark berry fruit and feels seamless toward the finish. I am not inclined toward hyperbole, nevertheless, this is the best Les Carmes that Guillaume Pouthier has overseen. 2030-2070
Carmes is a real success in 2022. The signature style is there in abundance but here, it is measured, fresh, balanced and purposeful rather than purely stylised. Spicy black fruit, rosemary and black cherry fruit leap from the glass on the nose. The palate is remarkably smooth for all the whole bunch in the wine. Glossy, grippy and refined, the tones of pencil shavings are subtle, instead revealing generous black fruit and cloaked tannins, a line of deceptive freshness keeping everything in check. Expansive on the finish, this should only improve with elevage and it will deserve a very high score in bottle.
This is so umami with sea urchin character that gives you sea salt and dried seaweed aromas and flavors. The integrity and richness is so impressive with an exotic character, yet it is so classic and fine in structure. 13.5% alcohol. 70% whole cluster fermentation. 40% cabernet franc, 35% cabernet sauvignon and 25% merlot. A new model for Bordeaux?
This is a truly delicious Pessac Léognan that shows just how much Carmes Haut-Brion sets itself apart, showing grip and stretching out through the palate. Don't expect the same character as you are going to find elsewhere in this vintage. Fragrant aromatics, roses, violets, crushed rocks, fennel, aniseed, with texture and tannic heft. Fresh dark fruits, edges of bitter Bendick mints, smoked caramel, slate. 70% whole bunch, no irrigation, cover crops intead on the clay limestone soils (when picked the grapes were at 14.4%, came down to 13.5% after vinification with use of stems and specific yeast). 40hl/h yields, 70% new oak, 3.6ph.
