| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Carmes Haut Brion
This is the first vintage where you see true clarity and precision in the fruit expression, and you start to feel the hum of minerality and confidence that Carmes has built up so successfully over the past decade. Drawn out raspberry and blackberry fruit on the finish, with grip and waves of violet and peony aromatics, moving on from the rose stems of the earlier vintages. A lovely wine, ready to drink but will age, and the slate scrape texture and white pepper spice gives an extra kick of interest. This was the point at which I began to fall in love with Carmes. 40% stems. 3.6ph.
Extremely perfumed with violets, lavender and hot stones as well as fruit and dark chocolate. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and silky and fresh. A lovely and bright wine now. Better in 2020.
Tasted blind. Bright, healthy, deep crimson. Stony nose with masses of ripe fruit. Lots of flesh and interest. Good balance and interest.
Drink 2024-2043
I tasted the 2014 Château les Carmes Haut Brion (54% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon) last year at the estate, yet it showed even better this year and has gained both depth and richness. Possessing an inky purple color and beautiful notes of blueberries, currants, exotic flowers, bay leaf and a hint of graphite, this medium to full-bodied 2014 has polished tannin, impressive mid-palate depth, and a layered, elegant texture that’s already hard to resist. Like most 2014s it shines for its elegance and purity more so than power and richness. Enjoy bottles anytime over the coming two to three decades. 2020 - 2050
This has a fresh feel, with a juniper streak adding energy to the plum coulis, red currant and bramble notes. Flecks of bay, pepper and tobacco fill in on the finish, giving this good range. Not the densest of the pack, but well done. Best from 2018 through 2026. 25,000 cases made.
This small but perfectly formed property has less Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than its illustrious neighbours and tends to make comparatively fresh, elegant, mineral wines. That's the case here: scented oak, stylish tannins and a core of sweet red fruits and shimmering minerality.
The 2014 Les Carmes Haut Brion has a very ripe, fig-tinged bouquet with red cherries, orange sorbet and faint tarry scents. This has more bravado than many of its Pessac-Léognan peers. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin. It comes across as more modern in style than its peers, silky smooth with caressing succulent red cherry and blackberry fruit leading to a polished finish. It has very good body and density, though I find much more complexity on the 2015. I remarked that I wanted to see how well the oak integrates with this Les Carmes Haut-Brion and at this early stage, I wait to be totally convinced that all the constituent parts are singing from the same hymn sheet.
The Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2014 is a blend of 54% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that are being converted to organic, undergoing a 30-day cuvaison with 15% to 40% whole clusters. Around 74% of the crop is matured in 80% new oak, 16% in 1,200-liter oak foudres and the remainder in 1-year old oak. Winemaker Guillaume Pouthier (ex-Chapoutier) has fashioned a bold and opulent bouquet with macerated black cherries and boysenberry jam. But it does not really 'sing' of "Pessac-Léognan", not at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannin on the entry, but then there is a wave of ripe, black, grainy fruit infused with graphite and cedar and it finishes in a bravura fashion with a seam of coconut originating from the oak. I would want to just check how the oak integrates with time by bottling and it may merit a higher score then. It's gonna need a top wine to match the architectural ambitions of its Philippe Starck-designed winery - this is certainly going in the right direction.
Beautiful density of fruit with blackberry, dark chocolate and blueberry character. Full-bodied, very fine and silky. Classy for the vintage.
