Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion - Pessac-Léognan 2016

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 30/11/2018

The 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 39% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 65% new and 35% one-year-old oak for 22 months. This is one of the largest percentages of Cabernet Franc for this wine this vintage. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it gives notes of kirsch, black raspberries and black plums with touches of cassis, violets, chocolate box and pencil shavings. The palate is medium-bodied, firm, grainy and lively with loads of layers and a long, well-poised finish.

Wein Wisser

19 / 20

le 22/05/2017

41 % Cabernet Franc, 39 % Merlot, 20 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 42 hl/ha, Produktion: 31.000 Flaschen. Tiefes Purpurgranat mit satter Mitte und violettem Rand. Was für ein verführerisches, florales Parfüm nach Veilchen und Iris, dahinter Heidelbeere und Kokos sowie dunkle Schokonoten. Am mittelkräftigen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, butterweichen Tanninen und guter Frische, die dem Wein Halt und Länge gibt. Süsser Extrakt und viel schwarze Johannisbeere im Rückaroma; hat perfekte Reserven und durch die Kraft wird er immer länger und endet mit intensiver, schwarzbeeriger Frucht. Ist bereits in Balance und besticht durch den anregenden Trinkfluss. Kaufempfehlung!

Bettane & Desseauve

96-97 / 100

par Bettane & Desseauve le 03/05/2017

Très grande matière, tout aussi grande originalité de texture et de saveur, sans doute liée à l’encépagment (proportion importante de cabernet franc et de raisins non égrappés). Long, complexe, il est assez impressionnant.

Wine Advocate

95-97 / 100

par Neal Martin le 02/05/2017

The 2016 Les Carmes Haut Brion is a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot, with 13.8% alcohol and a pH of 3.55, the lowest acidity for many years. It was vinified in their Philippe Starck-designed "submarine" (this is what their aesthetically arresting winery looks like as it surfaces in the Bordeaux city suburbs!) with 48% whole berry fruit. Winemaker Guillaume Pouthier (ex-Chapoutier) showed me a large inflatable ring used to submerge the cap to create more of an "infusion" rather than a maceration. The 2016 is matured in 65% new oak, 30% one year old and 5% in amphora. It has a very pure, very attractive bouquet with ample blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry and fresh fig aromas, a little more extravagant than some other Pessac-Léognan 2016s, yet it maintains impressive control and focus. It develops more pressed flower aromas with time. The palate is medium-bodied with tannins that gently grip the mouth, tertiary notes on the entry, fine acidity vis-à-vis the fruit, then a slight tarriness towards the broody black fruit on the saline, marine-influenced finish. It is an intriguing take on the vintage, classic in style like many others, detailed with impressive complexity. You know, it is not a million miles away from Lafleur in Pomerol, but in the same sense, it will require a decade in bottle to show what it can do. It is a new benchmark for this estate with big ambitions. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

20 / 20

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 28/04/2017

Le meilleur jamais fait ! Couleur très sombre, pourpre et noire. Nez extraordinaire, intense, très raffiné, au fruité pur, avec des notes de violettes, de framboises et de réglisse, comme si tous les parfums de Carmes s'étaient donnés rendez-vous ici. Grande entrée en bouche ample et moelleuse, de suite extrêmement parfumée puis, le vin stagne en milieu de bouche, plein et se met à fondre, juteux, complexe, sur un toucher de bouche noble, avec beaucoup, beaucoup de goût. Grande finale profonde et étincelante de fruits. Grain magique. C'est très grand ! Bravo ! Sous le coup de l'émotion, j'ai même oublié de demander l'assemblage. Alcool : 13,8° - IPT : 76. - pH : 3,55, c'est bas et très rare pour un sol argilo- graveleux, ce qui va donner à ce vin une longue vie, même si les gourmands le boiront avant. 2026 - 2070.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100 / 100

par Jeff Leve le 27/04/2017

With a real intensity of raw material here, the nose pops with smoke, tobacco, flowers, earth, boysenberry and cassis. As time goes on, you find dark chocolate covered plums too. The texture is surreal. Pure silk and velvet fill your mouth and coat your palate. Concentrated and deep, this has a freshness, vibrancy and purity of fruit that really leaves you breathless. To understand the finish, picture eating ripe and almost over berries right off the vine, while smoking an aged Cuban cigar and you are almost there, if you just add the silky, velvet textures, rocks and stones. The finish sticks with you for over 60 seconds! The wine was made from blending 41% Cabernet Franc, 39% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that included 50% of the grapes being whole, bunch fermented, the wine reached 13.8% alcohol, with a pH of 3.55. The harvest took place September 21 to October 8. The wine is aging in 100% new, French oak barrels, with 5% of the production aging in clay amphora.

Vinous

94-97 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 26/04/2017

The 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the most distinctive wines of the vintage. A wine of real depth and density, it possesses stunning richness and intensity in all of its dimensions. The high proportion of Cabernet Franc and the 50% whole clusters give notable aromatic lift, saline intensity and drive. Ample, full-throttle and unapologetically intense, Les Carmes Haut-Brion is once again superb. Tasted three times.

Decanter.com

95 / 100

par Jane Anson le 25/04/2017

Slowly but surely, Carmes Haut-Brion is moving from being 'an estate to watch' to one that has fully arrived. This gives the appearance of effortless extraction, where the vibrant black fruits seem artfully placed along the palate, fleshed out with liquorice, dark chocolate, graphite and violet notes. This has the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc on the left bank, and it can be austere at en primeur, but in this vintage the fresh fruit reads as juiciness and persistency. I love it, what a stunning wine, and what a testament to the benefits of investing in terroir. Biodynamic farming also, although not certified. Tasted at the château and again with the UGCs. Technical director Guillaume Pouthier used a good amount of whole bunch pressing, over 20%, because he felt the stalks were ripe. Drinking Window 2027 - 2045

matthewjukes.com

18 / 20

par Matthew Jukes le 25/04/2017

(41 Cabernet Franc, 39 Merlot, 20 Cabernet Sauvignon) | 65% new oak A superb wine, with thoroughbred tannins and perfectly judged fruit, this is a wonderful success for Les Carmes Haut-Brion in 2016 and unlike previous vintages where everything seems slightly forced and dense, this is a wine with an effortless feel and I like it all the more. 18+

La Revue du Vin de France

18,5-19,5 / 20

le 25/04/2017

L'assemblage se démarque comme chaque année avec 41% de cabernet franc, 20% de cabernet sauvignon et 39% de merlot, un élevage à 70% en fûts neufs, 25% en fûts d'un vin et 5% en jarres. Un caractère de craie (tuffeau) marque ce vin à l'ADN cabernet franc et aux tanins étirés. Beaucoup de style avec une matière sophistiquée et un équilibre abouti.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 21/04/2017

Dark crimson. Sumptuous texture if not that much flavour at present. Very round and gorgeous with lovely Graves freshness on the finish. Very glossy and winning. Nicely managed tannins.

Wine Spectator

93-96 / 100

par James Molesworth le 10/04/2017

This has the grippy, licorice-accented edge typical of the AOC, along with sappy kirsch and cherry paste flavors. Good energy supplies lift and cut through the finish, putting this half a step ahead of the pack.—J.M.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

20 / 20

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 10/04/2017

Couleur très sombre, pourpre et noire. Nez extraordinaire, intense, très raffiné, au fruité pur, avec des notes de violettes, de framboises et de réglisse, comme si tous les parfums de Carmes s'étaient donnés rendez-vous ici. Grande entrée en bouche ample et moelleuse, de suite extrêmement parfumée puis, le vin stagne en milieu de bouche, plein et se met à fondre, juteux, complexe, sur un toucher de bouche noble, avec beaucoup, beaucoup de goût. Grande finale profonde et étincelante de fruits. Grain magique. C'est très grand ! Bravo ! Sous le coup de l'émotion, j'ai même oublié de demander l'assemblage.

Jamessuckling.com

96-97 / 100

par James Suckling le 04/04/2017

Extremely long and erudite with crushed stones, blackberries and blueberries. Hints of fresh herbs. Full-bodied, tight and polished. The balance and beauty are amazing. Salty and minerally. More polished than the 2015. Wait and see. From biodynamic grapes.