Château Les Carmes Haut Brion - Pessac-Léognan 2000

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/06/2010

This is a slight upgrade for this wine, which seems to be approaching full maturity but is in no danger of losing fruit or declining for at least another 10 years. It is one of the most elegant wines of the vintage, with an ethereal nose of red and blue fruits, spring flowers, and hints of bay leaf and graphite, while unsmoked cigar tobacco and plum also make an appearance in the strikingly complex aromatics and flavors. The wine is medium-bodied, not a blockbuster by any means, but a wine of terrific balance, purity, symmetry, and style. Drink it over the next 20 years. ... Drink 2010-2030.

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2003

From bottle, several samples were perplexingly closed and reluctant to open. Yet with aeration, this wine represents the quintessential model of both Graves and Bordeaux elegance. A wine of finesse and depth, it has superb concentration and opulence. Medium-bodied, layered, and lush, with extraordinary aromatic complexity (cigar tobacco, earth, coffee, black currants, and ripe plums/prunes), stunning purity, a seamless texture, and sweet tannin, it will take longer to provide thrilling drinking than I initially thought. At present, it is tight and closed, but aeration brings out its perfume. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.

Wine Spectator

90 / 100

par James Suckling le 31/03/2003

Gorgeous wine. Very ripe, with exotic fruit and smoky, earthy undertones. Medium- to full-bodied, with fine tannins and a long finish. Much better than what I tasted from barrel. Best after 2006. 2,000 cases made.

Wine Advocate

92-95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 28/02/2002

Sadly, Les Carmes-Haut-Brion's 10-acre vineyard, a petit bijou (jewel), is incapable of producing significant quantities. Situated adjacent to Haut-Brion, it is a sleeper effort that deserves more attention. Cabernet Franc (40% of the blend along with Cabernet Sauvignon and a tiny dollop of Merlot) gives this wine extraordinary finesse as well as explosive aromatics. Probably the finest Les Carmes I have ever tasted, the 2000 rachets up the level of concentration, opulence, and sumptuousness. My notes read, "a Pomerol from Pessac-Leognan?" Full-bodied, layered, and lush, with extraordinary aromatic complexity (cigar tobacco, earth, coffee, black currants, and ripe plums/prunes), stunning purity, a seamless texture, and sweet tannin, it will provide thrilling drinking between 2005-2020. A big time sleeper of the vintage.

Wine Advocate

91-95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2001

I have been praising this estate's wines for a number of years. This tiny treasure, located in a beautiful park beside Haut-Brion, in the suburb of Pessac, is a must visit for travelers to Bordeaux. The vineyard, a whopping ten acres, descends from a sixteenth century order of monks. Lovingly and meticulously made by the Furt family, it is a blend of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine spends 18 months in 50% new oak before bottling. It remains an excellent bargain. The spectacular 2000 is a great achievement. The size of the vineyard is beneficial as it can be harvested within two days if necessary. In 2000, the Merlot was harvested on September 13, and the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon picked ten days later. A sleeper of the vintage, this dense ruby/purple-colored offering exhibits a gorgeously sweet nose of smoke, damp earth, coffee, black currants, and cigar tobacco. Opulently-textured (malolactic is done in barrel), with stunning purity, richness, and a long, concentrated finish, this may be a modern day clone of the profound 1959, which first attracted me to this estate's wines. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2025.