2023 Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan, France 750ml

Arriving fall 2026.

Guillaume Pouthier and his team have once again crafted one of Bordeaux's most unique and characterful wines. Revealing aromas of mulberries and raspberries mingled with notions of vine smoke, orange zest, rose petals and spices, the 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, with a powerful, vibrant and complete mid-palate, concluding with a long, ethereal and mouthwateringly saline finish. Sensual, suave and seamless, its beautifully refined tannins are, analytically, more abundant than even those of the 2022 vintage, yet they are so brilliantly integrated as to be near-imperceptible. This blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot is crafted for longevity, though its refined structure will make it surprisingly approachable at an early age. It's maturing 70% in new oak barrels, 20% in 18-hectoliter foudres and 10% in amphorae. A creditable yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare represents a decided agronomic success in what was a challenging growing season.

"2023 was a year of involvement, humility, responsiveness and delicacy," Guillaume Pouthier remarked, describing the 2023 vintage at Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion. Consistently, this estate delivers some of the most inspiring wines in Bordeaux, and the 2023 vintage upholds this tradition. Pouthier deftly navigates the vintage's challenges, avoiding early grape picking; he steers clear of excessive extraction, unlike some of his peers, and focuses instead on preserving the vibrant flavors and aromas with the purity and precision of the mouthfeel, achieved through significant sorting (about 10% of the crop) to remove scorched berries. Despite these meticulous efforts, the 2023 vintage doesn't quite match the 2022 vintage's more vibrant bouquets. Yet, there is potential for surprises post-élevage, once the wines are bottled, leveraging the estate's expertise in this complex craft. Moreover, the 2023 C des Carmes, which is not the second wine of Les Carmes Haut-Brion and offers an interpretation of different terroirs of sandy and gravelly soils in Martillac, is arguably one of the best produced at this address. William Kelley

Published: Apr 26, 2024