Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2023

50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot Such finesse, depth, and subtlety in the delicate and precise bouquet of Carmes. The nuances of black cherries coupled with hints of peony and elderflower create exceptional complexity, driven by elegance and purity. The wine presents itself moderately, ambitiously, fresh, and precise. The tannins appear late, showing delicacy before revealing their strength. Once again, Guillaume Pouthier and his team have skillfully interpreted the messages from the vines and the climate. This is an exercise in subtlety, precision, rigor, and ambitions motivated by excellence. The result is a balanced, challenging wine that awakens both hedonistic and detail-appreciating senses. Carmes 2023 is profound, exceptional, precise, and refreshing. It proves that finesse and subtlety, guided by delicate power, underline its excellence regardless of vintage. The 2023 sits alongside its predecessor, looking towards the future with their respective differences and common soul. The 2023 has likely been more challenging than 2022, deserving even more merit, though the true credit goes to the dedicated team behind this magnificent result. I pay tribute to them and thank them for rewarding wine enthusiasts with this great wine. 2029-2063.

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion has ignited its own star among the glittering Bordeaux galaxy, unexpectedly becoming the brightest star in the 2023 night sky. This wine’s crispness could inspire artists; it’s as clear as Lake Baikal and as light as snow lotus. Upon the first sip, I instantly understood the spirit of Li Bai’s verse: “The giant peng soars with the wind, spiraling up 90,000 miles.” Surprisingly, such a refreshing wine harbors boundless energy. Its lingering saltiness and profound graphite aftertaste are like a massive black hole, irresistibly drawing in my taste buds, and compelling me to raise my glass repeatedly. The 2023 vintage includes 50% Cabernet Franc, 60% whole-bunch, and an extravagant 45 days maceration, yet tasting it feels as smooth as drifting clouds and flowing water. This is a flagship of whole-bunch fermentation, a truly legendary creation.

This is a fantastic wine and very, very exciting, with purity and brightness to the floral, spicy and blackberry notes. It’s full and deep with agility and weightless. You feel the greatness in this. The winemaker says this is more concentrated and structured than the 2022. Lightly salty. 60% whole-berry fermentation. 50% cabernet franc, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. From organically grown grapes.

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. "2023 was a year of involvement, humility, responsiveness and delicacy," Guillaume Pouthier remarked, describing the 2023 vintage at Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion. Consistently, this estate delivers some of the most inspiring wines in Bordeaux, and the 2023 vintage upholds this tradition. Pouthier deftly navigates the vintage's challenges, avoiding early grape picking; he steers clear of excessive extraction, unlike some of his peers, and focuses instead on preserving the vibrant flavors and aromas with the purity and precision of the mouthfeel, achieved through significant sorting (about 10% of the crop) to remove scorched berries. Despite these meticulous efforts, the 2023 vintage doesn't quite match the 2022 vintage's more vibrant bouquets. Yet, there is potential for surprises post-élevage, once the wines are bottled, leveraging the estate's expertise in this complex craft. Moreover, the 2023 C des Carmes, which is not the second wine of Les Carmes Haut-Brion and offers an interpretation of different terroirs of sandy and gravelly soils in Martillac, is arguably one of the best produced at this address.