Château Les Carmes Haut Brion 2023

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Giuseppe Lauria - Fine Wine Guide

Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch

The Wine Independent

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Deep in color, the wine is equally deep, sporting nuances of blackberries, black cherries, flowers, blueberries, tar, herbs, and spices. On the palate, the wine is rich, full-bodied, supple, and deep. There is intensity, purity, length, and vibrancy. The wine is rich, and concentrated, yet, the cool part of the tasting is that the wine is also light on its feet. With all the obvious density, the wine never feels heavy. Although it is mouthcoating, its also elegant, leaving you with layers of crushed stones, herbs, and a wealth of ripe, sweet, dark fruits, with a touch of salty chocolate in the finish. The wine was made using 60% whole bunch clusters, blending 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, 13.5% ABV, pH 3.6. The wine is aging in a combination of 70% new, French oak, 20% foudres and 10% amphora. Picking took place September 11- September 23. Drink from 2025-2050.

Vinum Wine Magazine

Jeb Dunnuck

Beautiful notes of exotic red and black fruits, spring flowers, violets, leafy herbs, and tobacco emerge from the 2023 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, with subtle hints of iron and graphite. Aged 22 months in barrel, the first year in 70% new oak with the rest in used barrels and concrete, and the second year all in used foudre, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, has a pure, layered, graceful mouthfeel, impressive balance, and a great finish. I love the purity and polish of its tannins, and while it already has charm, this deserves 4-6 years of bottle age and will evolve beautifully for 30+ years. Drink 2030-2055.

James Suckling

Aromas of spices, sweet tobacco, earth, tar, flint, rose petals, fresh basil and bay leaves come through clearly. Medium- to full-bodied with a tight and focused palate and open-grained tannins that are integrated and lightly dry. So savory, juicy and spicy. 60% whole-cluster fermentation. 50% cabernet franc, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. From organically grown grapes. Already so delicious but better in two or three years and well beyond.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Slightly higher in Cabernet Franc than usual, the 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion opens with a nuanced bouquet of cassis, cassis leaf, licorice, dark berries, wisteria and blueberry. Medium- to full-bodied, fleshy yet strikingly linear, it’s defined by a tensile structure and a crystalline precision that gives the wine remarkable clarity. The tannins are exquisitely refined—silky yet laser-focused—imparting a sense of purity and balanced. Despite 90% new oak, the élevage is seamlessly absorbed, shaping the wine’s structure without encroaching on its intrinsic balance and precision. Kudos!

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion occupies a singular position within the Graves, both geographically and stylistically. Set within the urban landscape of Bordeaux, the estate’s 7.6 hectares form a coherent block of deep gravel over clay and limestone, with a notable proportion of Cabernet Franc—an anomaly in the appellation and a defining feature of its identity.

The modern era began in earnest with the arrival of Guillaume Pouthier in 2010, whose first full vintage came in 2011. Since then, he has reoriented both viticulture and élevage with clarity of purpose. Farming is organic in practice, with careful attention to canopy management and soil vitality. In the cellar, whole-bunch fermentation plays a central role, often representing a significant percentage of the blend. Extraction remains gentle, with infusion favored over force, and fermentations proceed with indigenous yeasts. The wines see élevage in a combination of barrels, foudres and amphorae, with sulfur additions kept to a strict minimum.

The resulting style is distinctive: aromatic, lifted, driven by floral and spice notes, with a structural profile that privileges finesse over mass. Over recent vintages, there has been a clear movement toward greater precision and textural refinement, without sacrificing depth.

The range is focused. The grand vin leads, while Le C des Carmes is produced from a separate vineyard located further south in the commune of Martillac. It is not a second wine but a distinct cuvée, issued from a different terroir and conceived on its own terms.

In 2023, the estate has achieved a wine of notable purity and balance, combining ripe tannins with a vivid acid spine.