Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2017

Special Price $109.85 Average US Price $135.00
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0833-2017
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• Domaine: Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
• Appellation: Pessac-Léognan
• Classification: Grand Vin de Graves
• Origin: Left Bank, Bordeaux, France

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a wine that harmonizes radiance, power, and depth.  This stunning expression of Pessac-Léognan terroir has a hefty amount of Cabernet Franc, which is unusual for the Left Bank.  The property is currently helmed by Patrice Pichet, who coveted the vineyards for many years.  After acquiring the property in 2010, he spared no expense in renovations as he wanted Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion to express the fullest potential of its terroir.  Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is, without a doubt, an extraordinary producer in its own class.

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion has a history that is inextricably linked with the Pessac-Léognan First Growth property, Château Haut-Brion.  Jean de Pontac of Haut-Brion gifted a water mill to a group of friars in the middle of what would later become the treasured vineyards of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion.  The vineyard was named after a group of Carmelites who managed the estate from as early as 1584 until the French Revolution in 1789.  The property was purchased by the Léon Colin family in 1840.  It stayed with their descendants for generations until the estate was sold to Patrice Pichet in 2010.  Pichet heads up a successful real estate company in Bordeaux, Groupe Pichet.  The estate had a massive renovation of the château and winemaking facilities.  Architect Philippe Starck created a new barrel room featuring a gravity fed cellar that is designed to look like a boat floating over a body of water.  This impressive cellar is accessed by a series of bridges and was inspired by the idea that Bordeaux wines were first exported via ships. 

Though the property is a sprawling 29.6 hectares, only 7.6 of those vines are used to produce the grand vin of Château Les Carmes Haut Brion.  The property is planted with 41 percent Merlot, 39 percent Cabernet Franc and 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  The estate can be divided into 17 different parcels.  Cabernet Franc runs the show at this estate, and Château Les Carmes Haut Brion has some vines that are almost 90 years old.  The choicest parcels are located closest to the château, yet there are other parcels located near Château Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut Brion.  The grapes are whole berry vinified and the entire winemaking process is all about gentle extractions to preserve subtle freshness.  Because of this, the grand vin is exceedingly soft with an almost oceanic mineral characteristic to the wine.  The wine is vinified in a combination of stainless steel, wood and cement fermenters which provide the grand vin a variety of different characteristics and complexity.  The viticultural team at Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is never afraid to experiment with newer techniques and recently a small portion of Château Les Carmes Haut Brion has been vinified in clay amphorae.  Without a doubt, Château Les Carmes Haut Brion is one of the more unique producers in the Left Bank, perfect for oenophiles looking for a truly different expression of Pessac-Léognan terroir.

 

Tasting Notes

''A lighter framed vintage, goes long on subtle woodsmoke, and we are back to roses here but they are petals and rosebuds, not stems, along with fragrant peony, raspberry, redcurrant, cassis. Graceful, plenty of sappy tannins and slate minerality, with liftoff through the finish. A lovely wine, graceful with finesse and hidden power. Can drink earlier than either the 2015 or 2016, just ensure you carafe for a few hours. 50% stems. Ageing takes place in a mix of 25% new oak, 5% oak casks, and 10% amphoras.'' Jane Anson, Best Pomerol 2020 Wines Tasted En Primeur, (02/07/2022) Ratings: 95 Drink: 2023-2040

"Composed of 41% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was fermented using 40% whole clusters and aged for around 20 months in French oak barrels, 65% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple, it springs from the glass with fragrant notions of Black Forest cake, kirsch and black raspberries plus touches of cedar chest, red roses, black tea and dried mint. Medium bodied, the palate struts itself with great elegance and poise, featuring restrained, mineral-sparked red and black fruits with a firm, grainy texture and bold freshness, finishing long and perfumed." Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (03/16/2020), Rating: 93+ Drink: 2023-2045

"Offering an Haut-Brion-like level of purity and precision, the 2017 Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion (41% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon) sports a vivid purple color as well as perfumed notes of blueberries, blackberries, unsmoked tobacco, crushed violets, and spring flowers. It’s not a blockbuster in the mold of the 2015 or 2016 (or 2018), but it has medium to full body, a beautiful elegance and purity, notable minerality, and an exceptional finish. It opens up with time in the glass, and I was able to follow a bottle for 3 days without it ever showing a hint of oxidation. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 30 years or more. Guillaume Pouthier and consultant Stephane Derenoncourt have unquestionably raised the quality from this estate, and this 2017 ranks with the gems of Pessac as well as all of Bordeaux." -Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, Rating: 94, Maturity: 2024-2055


More Information
LWIN 1007808
Stock Status In Stock
Appellation Pessac-Léognan
Vintage 2017
Brand Château Haut-Brion
Shipping Weight 3.000000
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Pessac-Léognan is a prestigious wine appellation located in the northern Graves region of Bordeaux on the Left Bank of the Garonne River to the south of Bordeaux city. Created in 1987 the Pessac-Léognan AOC encompasses communes in the south of Bordeaux such as Pessac-Léognan and Martillac. 

Pessac-Léognan soils are among the most widely varied in the region which explains why both serious red and white wines can be produced. The main grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Semillon producing elegant, complex wines that age well. 

These wines are known for their structure and their rich flavors often featuring notes of dark fruits, tobacco, spices. 

Pessac-Léognan has fourteen Crus Classés de Graves including one that is also a 1855 First Growths : Château Haut-Brion.

The area is home to several renowned estates including Château Pape-Clement, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Château Malartic-Lagravière, Château Lespault-Martillac, Château Haut-Bailly, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Domaine de Chevalier, Château Latour-Martillac, La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion, Le Petit Haut Lafitte, Château Carbonnieux, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, Clos Floridene, Château Bouscaut, Château Olivier, Château La Tour Haut-Brion, Château Brown, Château Baret, Château de Fieuzal, Château Ferran.

These estates are celebrated for their meticulous winemaking processes and commitment to excellence ensuring that each bottle reflects the rich heritage and terroir of the region. 

 

 

Footnotes on Futures, Pre-Arrivals, and potential US Tariffs: 

1. As of June 15, 2021, the US and the EU agreed to suspend tariffs resulting from the Boeing-Airbus aircraft trade disputes. Accordingly, such import taxes are now suspended for the next five years.

2. Futures are expected to be available for delivery two years after the sales (e.g., the 2022 vintage, sold in 2023, will be delivered in 2025 mostly, or 2026 if the producer ages the wine longer).

3. Pre-Arrivals are items currently stored in our Bordeaux cellar or in transit from France to the US. It usually takes 1-6 months for Pre-Arrivals to become available for delivery, depending on the stage of the import process.

4. Regarding futures and pre-arrivals, we cannot guarantee specific delivery dates, which factors beyond our control may impact. However, we will notify you once your wine arrives in our cellar.

5. While a buyer of Bordeaux wine futures locks in an allocation of the specified items, the final delivery of the purchased items from France to the US may be impacted by intervening and unforeseeable events. Despite our due diligence, additional costs or delays may be caused by such intervening and unforeseen events and "an irresistible, superhuman cause, or by the act of public enemies of the state of California or the United States."  In such circumstances, if a buyer does not accept unforeseeable costs or delays, the sole and exclusive remedy is a cancellation of the futures order concerned and a refund of the original purchase price. We are NOT liable for any lost profits on a canceled order.

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