Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2009 Pessac-Léognan 《Terroir Collection - TF1003》

Region : Pessac-Léognan

Grapes : 45% Merlot，40% Cabernet franc，15% Cabernet sauvignon

Alcohol :  14% vol

Website: https://www.les-carmes-haut-brion.com/en

🏅Wine Advocate 92 pts

🏅James Suckling 93 pts

🏅Wine Spectator 92 pts

🏅Wine Enthusiast 92-94 pts

In 1584, Jean de Pontac, the lord of Haut-Brion, donated several acres of meadows and vines to the Carmelite Order. This show of favour doubtless had a hint of predestination about it: the members of the congregation took their name from Mount Carmel, which literally means ‘God’s vineyard’. They cared for the land for nearly two centuries, showing the same devotion in both their penance and their wine production.

After being confiscated during the French Revolution, the estate was purchased by the Léon Colin family in 1840. Their descendants the Chantecailles put years of work into enhancing the property, adding a chateau and landscaped grounds, before selling it to Patrice Pichet in 2010. From one family to the next, these limited changes of ownership have helped to preserve the spirit and magic of the site.

The Carmes Haut-Brion estate has an ideal setting. The ponds and copses of the landscaped grounds stand in dialogue with the plots of vines: nature converses in harmony here amid a beautifully preserved ecosystem. The urban climate wafts in with the flowing waters of the River Peugue and provides the gentlest of support for the vines. In short, every element here works together to help ripen the grapes.

The ten hectares of land are made up of gravel, clay and sand. In this unique geological palette, affinity with the land guides the blend of grape varieties planted (itself also unique): Cabernet Franc (39%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) gaze at each other from either side of the stream, with Merlot (41%) growing a little farther away. This mosaic of plants is what gives the estate its unusual profile.

The winery, a wall of metal resting on the bed of the River Peugue, emerges dreamlike from the middle of the estate. Blending into the landscape thanks to the reflections that flit across its surface, it is both a feat of technical minimalism and a fitting memorial. By echoing the shape of a ship’s bow, it serves as a reminder of Bordeaux’s seafaring history: a place where the sea has made wine’s fortune throughout the world.

The central harvest reception area opens up onto the vat room where 1,200 hectolitres of wine are fermented in oak, stainless steel or concrete. Below, where water encircles the structure, some 300 barrels sit patiently in ideal maturation conditions. Finally, the top floor is crowned with a tasting room offering a vineyard panorama, where the year’s work can be savoured.

🏅Wine Advocate 92 pts

Beautiful, Burgundian-like aromas of burning embers, roasted Provencal herbs, black currants and sweet cherries and raspberries emerge from this medium-bodied, elegant 2009 Pessac-Leognan. Medium to full-bodied and seductive with sweet tannins as well as a surprisingly evolved, precocious personality (even for a 2009).

🏅James Suckling 93 pts

Round and friendly, with soft and velvety tannins and delicious plum, spice and meaty aromas and flavors. Juicy finish. Subtle and rich.

🏅Wine Spectator 92 pts

Still youthfully tight, this shows a packed core of plum, cassis and blackberry fruit wrapped with bittersweet cocoa, tobacco and charcoal notes. Nice drive marks the finish, with gorgeous polish, as a mouthwatering linzer torte note expands as it opens in the glass.

🏅Wine Enthusiast 92-94 pts

Spicy wood here,with stewed pear and ginger, as well as fine berry fruits. The wine is solid, but elegant, with great ripe fruits.