CHÂTEAU LES CARMES HAUT-BRION, 2023 VINTAGE EN PRIMEUR

2023 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR

This was a year of... Involvement. Humility. Responsiveness. Delicacy.

GUILLAUME POUTHIER, LES CARMES HAUT-BRION APRIL 2024

STILL GOT IT

The rise and rise of one of the stars of the New Bordeaux

We tasted Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2023 at 9am on the Monday of Bordeaux en primeur week. With the exception of a certain venerable neighbour of a similar name, it was our first left bank 2023. A pretty good start, in the salubrious surroundings of the Philippe Starck-designed winery’s tasting room, which was opened in 2016.

Winemaker Guillaume Pouthier was appointed just over a decade ago, following the purchase of the estate in 2010. Coming from Chapoutier in the Rhône, he brought a fresh perspective – an outsider’s eye for change, perhaps.

He has turned an arguable underperformer into an unquestionable overachiever. The focus on seamless, silky texture, underpinned by the use of whole bunches, still uncommon in Bordeaux, makes this one of the most thoroughly innovative wines being made in Bordeaux today.

Once part of neighbouring Château Haut-Brion, the estate dates from the sixteenth century and the Grand Carmelite Order of monks, who tended the vines until the French Revolution. Its immense potential is arguably only now being realised, following the 2010 acquisition by Patrice Pichet, founder of the eponymous French property group.

The impressive combination of Guillaume and consultant winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt is complemented by a first-rate team. We are delighted to be a preferred partner of the château in the UK.

GUY SEDDON Head of Fine Wine Buying

June 2024

Image credit: “Des Lieux et des Hommes” © Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2023 - Blandine Giambiasi, Guillaume Deschepper, Manon Riout, Florence Gendre

THE 2023 VINTAGE

...in the words of Guillaume Pouthier, Director, Les Carmes Haut-Brion

Autumn was slow to set in, with the first cold spells and little water. Fortunately, the days shortened and the vines quietly entered the winter. A calm, cool and fairly dry winter.

Early mild weather in March. A few shivers at bud burst, then rain. Mild and humid. One, the other or both. It took exceptional presence on the part of the team of winegrowers to act with decisive precision and speed. For us, this is the only way to take care of our vines: to be there, to observe and to act to the nearest millimetre, minute by minute.

At the end of the summer, the vintage mapped out more clearly. Harvest conditions were fine, so we could be completely flexible in our choices to express the

uniqueness of each of these little places that make up the wines of Les Carmes.

In the cellar, we went even further with infusionsubmerged cap vinification. We have entered a new phase with the use of tailor-made tools, based on our experiments with extraction in recent vintages. As for ageing, the further we go, the more we are willing to abandon a set protocol in favour of a different approach for each wine, depending on its profile and progress. Choosing not to choose... in advance.

Embracing this complexity. We plan to let ourselves be surprised, to taste what the wines have to say to us, to bring them to the bottle with the right touch, for several more exciting months.

THE 2023 VINTAGE IN NUMBERS:

Harvest dates: 11th - 25th September 2023 (5th - 20th September in 2022)

Whole bunches: 60% (70% in 2022)

Blend: 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot

Alcohol content: 13.5% abv, pH 3.62

Ageing: 70% new barrels, 20% 18hl foudres, 10% amphorae

60 year-old vines, on clay-limestone soils

TASTING NOTE

LES CARMES HAUT-BRION 2023

50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot. Dark, chocolatey blackberry aromas with violet, redcurrant, fresh mint and cedar. The full-bodied palate is supple and poised, vibrant and sleek. The sweet dark berry and cherry fruit has fabulous energy and drive. Les Carmes 2023 is a shapely wine whose impressive, powerful tannins are beautifully fruit-coated, the grip almost imperceptible. 60% whole-bunch fermentation. 70% of the production is ageing in new oak barrels, 20% in 18hl foudres and 10% in amphorae. 13.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18+

Recommended drinking from 2029 - 2045

£228/case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

£155/case of 1 magnum, in bond UK

£344/case of 1 double magnum, in bond UK

Tasting Guide

Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.

Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

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