Château La Tour Carnet - Haut-Médoc 2012

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2015

Part of the empire of Bernard Magrez, this blend of 61% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc is a sleeper of the vintage in 2012. Its excellent dense ruby/purple color, sweet cassis, black cherry fruit, supple tannins, medium to full body and attractive, long finish make for an impressive wine that should drink nicely for 10-15 years. It’s already accessible. This is another wine that performed dramatically better from the bottle than from barrel tastings.

Jamessuckling.com

90 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2015

A soft and silky wine with currant, spice and earth character. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Very pretty. Drink or hold.

Jancis Robinson

15,5 / 20

the12/11/2014

Meaty, and dark plums, expressive already. Bright, fresh and harmonious. (JH)13% Drink 2018-2026

Wine Advocate

88-90 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/3/2013

A blend of 61% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the La Tour Carnet has a sensual, very pure bouquet with subtle cassis notes emerging with time in the glass. The palate is full-bodied with firm grippy quite dry tannins. This is a very forceful La Tour Carnet, quite ambitious but perhaps just a smidgen over-extracted on the finish? One sample tasted in the first week needed to show more harmony, but two samples the following week showed that it is melding together nicely. Tasted April 2013.

Wine Spectator

87-90 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/30/2013

A toasted, modern style, with dark ganache, blueberry and espresso notes leading the way, backed by plum and blackberry fruit at the core. Obvious, with plenty of stuffing in reserve. —J.M.

matthewjukes.com

16.5 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/30/2013

Wine Advocate

86-88 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/26/2013

One of the better values in classified growth Bordeaux over many recent vintages has been La Tour Carnet, which proprietor Bernard Magrez has resurrected to a very high class performance. However, the 2012 La Tour Carnet did not impress me nearly as much as earlier vintages. This deep ruby/purple-hued effort reveals a certain austerity and astringent tannin despite the high Merlot content (about 66% with the rest mostly Cabernet Sauvignon). It is an earthy, angular, medium-bodied, slightly astringent effort. Certainly elevage in the cellars will soften this cuvee somewhat, but for now, it looks like it needs several years of cellaring. It should keep for 12-15 years.Drink: 2013 - 2028(86-88+ points)

The Wine Cellar Insider

85-88 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/26/2013

Oaky and modern, which is not a bad thing, but the wine is too oaky and too modern in his vintage as the wine is suffering from too much extraction with its dry, tart and green finish. 85-88 Pts

My Bettane + Desseauve

16,5 / 20

the4/25/2013

Harmonieux, équilibré, assez long, joli style, tannin fin, échantillon précis, merci !

Decanter.com

16,5 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/22/2013

Dense black-red, richly concentrated berry fruit, lots of depth, needs time to open up, good future. 16.5/20pts ( 88/100pts)Drink: 2017 - 2028

Jancis Robinson

16,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/17/2013

Drink 2022-2032Very dark purplish with a strong blue note. Dense, interesting nose. The fruit and tannins seem relatively ripe here. Complex, complete, while without quite the savour and sap of a top growth but very well done. Far from opulent, mind you!

Jamessuckling.com

88-89 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/4/2013

A wine from this appellation with some balance and harmony with medium body, medium tannins and a berry, mineral and light hazelnut character. Refined.