2022 Chateau Carmes Haut Brion - Pessac (750ml)
2022 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion · Pessac-Léognan
| Region | Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux |
|---|---|
| Blend | 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot |
| Drink | 2032–2062 |
One of the most singular estates in all of Bordeaux, Les Carmes Haut-Brion occupies an urban vineyard within the city limits, steps from Haut-Brion, with a terroir that includes a unique limestone component rarely found in Pessac. Under technical director Guillaume Pouthier, the estate has rewritten expectations for the appellation — whole-cluster fermentation, gravity flow, amphora aging, and a Cabernet Franc-dominant blend that owes more to the northern Rhône than to classic Médoc convention. The 2022 is the finest wine yet produced here: fermented with 70% whole bunches, aged in 70% new oak, 20% large cask, and 10% amphora, it opens with violet, iris, dark wild berries, pencil lead, and mulberry, building to a palate of extraordinary precision, sculpted tannins, and a long saline finish of breathtaking harmony. One of just ten châteaux to receive a perfect score from Wine Advocate in 2022, it outscored its neighbor Haut-Brion by three points.
100 pts Yohan Castaing (Wine Advocate) · 100 pts Antonio Galloni (Vinous) · 100 pts Georgie Hindle (Decanter)