Château Les Carmes Haut Brion 2018

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is composed of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot. It was made using 52% whole cluster and has 13.75% alcohol. It was aged in 75% new oak barriques, 16% foudres and 9% amphorae. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little coaxing before bursting from the glass with vibrant scents blackberry preserves, redcurrant jelly, mulberries and Black Forest cake, leading to an undercurrent of pencil lead, black truffles, cast-iron pan and charcoal with an emerging waft of violets. The elegantly crafted, medium-bodied palate dances with red and black fruits before bursting into earth and mineral sparks. It has a sturdy frame of firm, grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and savory. The stem tannins lend this wine a firmness and textural interest, which should integrate further with another 5-6 years in barrel, allowing the nuances to shine through even more, then you can continue to enjoy its slow evolution for a further 30+ years.

James Suckling

The essence of black fruit here, offering blackberry and brambleberry aromas with dried flowers and licorice. Crushed stones and some iodine, as well as nuts. Full-bodied palate that opens and delivers an encompassing mouth feel of fine, creamy tannins. Some whole-berry fermentation. A special wine with elegance and complexity. Try after 2026, but already so in tune.

Anthocyanes - Yohan Castaing

VertdeVin

The nose is fresh, captivating, mineral, racy and offers a beautiful finesse of the grain /of the aromatic, richness, a very fine concentration as well as complexity. It reveals notes of blackberry, violet, cocoa and small notes of black berries associated with a touch of black cherry, toasted, a hint of red fruits, lily, tomato leaf as well as discreet hints of nutmeg and spices. The palate is fruity, juicy, elegant, mineral, beautifully balanced, complex and offers a very beautiful finesse of the grain, tension, a small aerial side, a beautiful finesse of the structure (despite the power and richness), a very beautiful freshness, a very beautiful suavity, a beautiful fleshy / juicy / fresh fruit, a beautiful purity as well as a very discreet saline / iodine hint. A “multi-layered” wine that requires work in the glass and time to fully reveal itself. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fleshy/juicy blackberry, fresh/fleshy/juicy raspberry and small notes of fleshy/juicy/fresh cassis associated with a touch of juicy blueberry, a hint of fleshy/crushed red berries, slight varietal hints, cocoa, spices and very discreet toasted hints. Tannins are elegant, supple and very slightly marked. There are a hint of bitterness cocoa (pleasant!), nutmeg as well as an imperceptible varietal hint and toasted hint on the persistence. A captivating wine! (wait +12/15 years)

Falstaff

Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2018 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a rock star of a wine and is based on a unique blend of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 29% Merlot that was brought up in 80% new French oak. Offering a deep ruby/purple color as well as a thrilling bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, chocolate, violets, damp earth, and truffle, it hits the palate with a full-bodied yet almost understated, building style that carries ripe, supple tannins, gorgeous amounts of smoky black fruits, and an endearing, layered, multi-dimensional texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. A dead ringer for a great vintage of Haut-Brion, it is far from unapproachable today yet needs 7-8 years of bottle age for the fireworks to develop and will have 50-years or more of longevity! Hats off to Guillaume Pouthier for a magical, seamless, singular beauty!