2016 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

31764 Views

2016 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion  (Pessac-Léognan) 100 Simply put, this is what great Bordeaux is all about. Aromatically it’s packed with flowers, mint, ripe, sweet cherries, spice, oceanic influences and chocolate. The palate is even better. Texturally, it’s opulent, rich, silky and sensuous, long, intense, fresh, expansive and already thrilling to taste at 10. And the good news, it’s only going to get better and better from here. Drink from 2026-2050. Simply put, this is what great Bordeaux is all about. Aromatically it’s packed with flowers, mint, ripe, sweet cherries, spice, oceanic influences and chocolate. The palate is even better. Texturally, it’s opulent, rich, silky and sensuous, long, intense, fresh, expansive and already thrilling to taste at 10. And the good news, it’s only going to get better and better from here. Drink from 2026-2050. 245 Views   Tasted Feb 10, 2026  • Buy This Wine For The Lowest Price DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTE | Post to The initial blast of crushed rock, salty tannins and pure, deep, red fruits is all it takes to get hooked here. The nose, with its smoky, cigar box, flowers, leafy herbs, wet earth and sweet cherry notes might have started the show, but it is the intensity and purity in the fruit on the palate, with the 50 second finish that makes it all work. This is a star in the making! I am pointing this out because even though this vintage seems to have doubled in price since we initially raved about it, for a wine of this quality, it is well worth the price. The initial blast of crushed rock, salty tannins and pure, deep, red fruits is all it takes to get hooked here. The nose, with its smoky, cigar box, flowers, leafy herbs, wet earth and sweet cherry notes might have started the show, but it is the intensity and purity in the fruit on the palate, with the 50 second finish that makes it all work. This is a star in the making! I am pointing this out because even though this vintage seems to have doubled in price since we initially raved about it, for a wine of this quality, it is well worth the price. 8,954 Views   Tasted Feb 10, 2019 Long, fresh, graceful, elegant, pure and refined, the layers of silky, cashmere textured fruits just doesn't quit. The wine has a uniqueness of character you can feel, taste and smell. This is a stunner and it still sells for a song. If you are not hip to what is going on with Les Carmes Haut Haut Brion, you should be! Long, fresh, graceful, elegant, pure and refined, the layers of silky, cashmere textured fruits just doesn't quit. The wine has a uniqueness of character you can feel, taste and smell. This is a stunner and it still sells for a song. If you are not hip to what is going on with Les Carmes Haut Haut Brion, you should be! 12,071 Views   Tasted May 12, 2018 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% ABV, 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. 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% ABV, 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. 10,494 Views   Tasted Apr 29, 2017

When to Drink Chateau, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-3 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion is usually better with at least 8-10 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 10-35 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Les Carmes Haut Brion, with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. Chateau Les Carmes is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms and pasta as well as cheese.

Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion Character and Style

The style of wine from Les Carmes Haut Brion until recently has been on the light side for the Pessac Leognan region, due to the high percentage of Cabernet Franc planted in the vineyard. With the new owners, the style has changed a bit. Today, the wine is showing more depth and concentration, while retaining its elegance and freshness.

Depending on the vintage, the wine can offer more complexity in the nose, than in the mouth. The 2014 Les Carmes Haut Brion displayed more depth and complexity than many previous vintages making it a contender for the best wine produced in the history of the chateau.

Les Carmes Haut Brion has the ability to age and evolve. The best example of this was discovered this year when tasting a magnum of the 1915 Les Carmes Haut Brion at the chateau!

On average, close to 4,000 cases of wine are produced in an average year. The estate makes a second wine, Le Clos de Carmes Haut Brion. However, this wine is actually its own unique brand as it's produced from grapes planted in Martillac that were originally part of the Le Thil vineyard.

www.les-carmes-haut-brion.com