2023 Chateau Carmes Haut Brion - Pessac (750ml)
The Estate
Nestled within the suburbs of Bordeaux, everything about this unique estate is special and different. The property covers just 7.82 hectares, planted with 44% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, and 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and features a stylish new winery designed by Philippe Starck. Since Guillaume Pouthier moved to Carmes Haut-Brion from Chapoutier, he has presided over a quiet revolution, turning this Pessac-Léognan château into one of the most distinctive and sought-after wines in Bordeaux.
The 2023 Vintage
Blend & Vinification
A blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot, the 2023 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was fermented with 60% whole bunches and is aging in 70% new oak barrels, 20% new oak vats of 18 hl, and 10% amphorae.
Grapes were picked September 11 to 25. Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier explains that he plans to give the 2023 longer aging — around 24–26 months — so he approached vinification in a more reductive style than in the past. The yield in 2023 was 49 hl/ha (up 20% on 2022), and 60% whole bunch use helped keep alcohol down to 13%.
Character & Style
Aromas of incense, spice, flowers, cassis, black cherry, sweet earth, and graphite. The palate delivers layers of fresh dark fruit — mulberries, cherry — finely textured with bright, leafy character and gloriously suave tannins.
The tannins are analytically more abundant than even those of the 2022 vintage, yet so brilliantly integrated as to be near-imperceptible. The blend is crafted for longevity, though its refined structure will make it surprisingly approachable at an early age.