Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2018

Juicy and fresh, with a vivid beam of cassis and cherry purée laced with hints of anise, tobacco and apple wood. The finish is focused and driven, while a tarry streak adds range and depth, showing nicely buried mouthwatering acidity throughout. Very expressive already, but this should develop nicely with cellaring as well. Best from 2023 through 2034.

The combination of silky-soft texture and powerful intensity of flavour is completely seductive. Violet aromas and deep, black fruit flavours dominate for now. Whole-bunch fermentation for about half the grapes and a high proportion of Cabernet Franc gives the wine a unique profile. The growing season was tough, with spring hailstorms and mildew, and despite the hot, dry weather from June through to harvest, this wine has a delicious freshness that will help it age brilliantly.

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 mouthfeel of fine, creamy tannins. Some whole-berry fermentation. A special wine with elegance and complexity. Try after 2026, but already so in tune.

37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot. Black core and crimson rim. More subtle on the nose than the other Pessacs tasted so far this morning. Opens up to refined black and dark-red fruit. A light mineral note like lead pencils. Sweeter and riper on the palate than I expected, but the tannins, like the aroma, are more subtle than in many 2018s. There’s both intensity and refinement in this more mineral style. Long and fresh. (JH)

The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a total knock-out, just as it was from barrel. Soaring in its aromatic intensity, Les Carmes dazzles from the very first taste. Inky red fruits, mocha, new leather, licorice, dried flowers, sage and mint envelop all the senses. Today, the 2018 appears to be slightly closed, but time brings out tons of aromatic energy and nuance. Cabernet Franc plays the leading role, unusual for this part of the region. Franc aromatics and a fair amount of whole-cluster savoriness lend energy but also a feeling of richness without weight that is especially appealing. This is a masterpiece from Les Carmes Haut-Brion and Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier.

Aromatically, this beauty kicks off with an array of just-picked flowers, smoky, dark red and black fruits, licorice, herbs, wet earth, cigar box, forest leaf, and salty, crushed rocks. Deeply colored, concentrated, full-bodied, elegant, soft, refined and pure on the palate, the seamless finish keeps on going with layers of fresh, ripe, sweet, sensuously textured fruits. The wine is a blend of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot, 13.75% ABV. This has the potential to age and evolve for 2-3 decades with ease.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate watery edge. Somewhat restrained, fine dark forest berry confit, discreet herbal savouriness, nuances of cherries, some nougat, discreet touch of noble wood. Taut, closely meshed, fine sweet cherry fruit, savoury, vivid tannins that still seem a bit brittle, very lively style, salty minerality on the finish, nougat aftertaste.

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!

Kunz Fassprobe 19: (37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 13.75% alc./vol.) Fresh, silky, elegant bouquet, blue and black berries, strawberries, cedar, tobacco, fresh plum, dried herbs, mint, nougat, red licorice, black pepper. Balanced, tightly knit, multi-layered palate with powerful, sweet, refined fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a subtly muscular, elegant structure, varied, fresh aromatics, very long, delicately bitter, aromatic finish with fine afterflavors.

Fresh, elegant, complex, spicy bouquet: black cherries, assorted herbs, licorice, cedar, graphite. A tightly knit, fresh, elegant, finely etched palate with powerful, fresh fruit, varied, fresh aromatics, dense structure, and a long, powerful, fresh finish. 19/20 2024 - 2050

Powerful, packed with complex layers of raspberry, blackberry, smoked earth, rosemary and turmeric spice, all underpinned by clear salinity and grip. The personality and poise of this wine outpace the vintage, not an easy feat in a year as powerful as 2018 and on a warm site such as Carmes Haut-Brion. Touches of saffron and salt-licked notes as it opens, sage, freshly grilled dried herbs, and gourmet espresso and brioche. Enjoyable. 3.62 pH, and harvest at almost 1% ABV higher than you find in the final bottle. Ageing takes place in a mix of 25% new oak, 5% large oak casks, and 10% amphoras, with 55% whole clusters during fermentation, and natural yeasts.

Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2018 has a deep garnet-purple color. It offers notes of prunes, stewed red and black cherries, and crème de cassis, with hints of Chinese five-spice and tobacco. Full-bodied, rich, and velvety, the palate has a lively backbone and a long, spicy finish.

Amplitude, finesse, complexity and guaranteed longevity. Great wine.

Deep, floral, and fruity bouquet. Great precision and definition in a filigree context with notes of iris and dark fruits. Dense and harmonious, the wine has velvety tannins that provide a reliable backbone. A serene, youthful, and persistent Carmes Haut-Brion. You can start enjoying it now, but in this case it is advisable to decant it for at least 1.5 hours.

The nose is fresh, captivating, mineral, racy, and offers a beautiful fineness of grain/aromatics, richness, very fine concentration, and complexity. It reveals notes of blackberry, violet, cocoa and, more subtly, small black fruits, with a fine touch of black cherry, toasted nuances, a hint of red fruits, lily, tomato leaf, as well as discreet hints of nutmeg and spices. The palate is fruity, juicy, elegant, mineral, nicely balanced, complex, and offers a lovely fineness of grain, tension, a slight airy quality, a refined structure (despite power and richness), great freshness, lovely smoothness, ripe/juicy/fresh fruit, beautiful purity, and a very discreet saline/iodized hint. A multi-layered wine that requires work in the glass and a bit of time to fully reveal itself. On the palate, it expresses notes of fleshy/juicy blackberry, fresh/fleshy/juicy raspberry, and, more subtly, fleshy/juicy/fresh blackcurrant, with a touch of juicy blueberry, a hint of fleshy/crushed red berries, fine varietal notes, cocoa, spices, and very discreet toasted hints. The tannins are elegant, supple, and very finely etched. There is a touch of cocoa bitterness (pleasant!), nutmeg, and an imperceptible varietal and toasted note on the finish. A captivating wine! (+12/15 years)

Logo on the cork: AL Dark, intense, bright and youthful color. Very aromatic nose with ripe, pure fruit, underpinned by a hint of pine wood found in the 1990 but rare at this age. Precise on entry, broad and highly aromatic mid-palate, the wine gains presence toward the back of the palate. It finishes long, with superb nuances of fruit, licorice, and violet. Alcohol: 13.5% – pH: 3.64. Blend: 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot.

92–94. Barrel Sample. This wine has bold, ripe black fruits and fine acidity. Its structure shows well through the fruitiness of the wine. This will certainly age well.