Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion 2016

Jeb Dunnuck: "Readers looking for the next superstar in Bordeaux need to jump on the bandwagon of Les Carmes Haut-Brion, who have produced one of the wines of the vintage in 2016. The 2016 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion checks in as a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 39% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that hit 13.8% natural alcohol and spent 22 months in 65% new French oak. Its deep purple color is followed by a complex bouquet of high-class smoke tobacco, decaying flowers, charcoal, gravelly minerality and loads of sweet black and blue fruit. Possessing full-bodied richness, flawless integration of its acidity, fruit, and ultra-fine tannins, and a blockbuster finish, this is another 2016 that possess both power and elegance. Do your best to hide bottles for 5-7 years and it will keep for 3-4 decades. Don’t miss it. Tasted twice."

The Wine Cellar Insider: "The initial blast of crushed rock, salty tannins and pure, deep, red fruits is all it takes to get hooked here. The nose, with its smoky, cigar box, flowers, leafy herbs, wet earth and sweet cherry notes might have started the show, but it is the intensity and purity in the fruit on the palate, with the 50 second finish that makes it all work. This is a star in the making! I am pointing this out because even though this vintage seems to have doubled in price since we initially raved about it, for a wine of this quality, it is well worth the price."

James Suckling: "Terrific ripeness, depth and complexity on offer here. This has a very attractive array of bright, ripe blueberries and cassis with some leafy and earthy notes. The palate has a quite deep, long and vibrant array of perfectly ripe dark plums and blueberries. So good. Best vintage this decade. Try from 2023."

Weinwisser: "41 % Cabernet Franc, 39 % Merlot, 20 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 42 hl/ha, Produktion: 31.000 Flaschen. Tiefes Purpurgranat mit satter Mitte und violettem Rand. Was für ein verführerisches, florales Parfüm nach Veilchen und Iris, dahinter Heidelbeere und Kokos sowie dunkle Schokonoten. Am mittelkräftigen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, butterweichen Tanninen und guter Frische, die dem Wein Halt und Länge gibt. Süsser Extrakt und viel schwarze Johannisbeere im Rückaroma; hat perfekte Reserven und durch die Kraft wird er immer länger und endet mit intensiver, schwarzbeeriger Frucht. Ist bereits in Balance und besticht durch den anregenden Trinkfluss. Kaufempfehlung!"

Decanter: "Refined, if a bit closed in at this stage, slowly revealing blackberry, juicy damson and tobacco leaf. The palate comes across with wet stone, much more ‘mineral’ in expression and less fruit-forward than the Haut-Bailly. Can stand up to venison or a zesty rack of lamb. Drinking Window 2025 - 2050"

Wine Spectator: "This offers alluring waves of ganache-tinged plum sauce, blackberry reduction and steeped açaí fruit flavors, while tobacco and singed mesquite notes hang in the background. Shows a lovely bramble echo through the finish, with the fruit easily keeping pace. This has range, distinctive mouthfeel and serious length. There's a new player officially in the Pessac game... Best from 2023 through 2038."

The Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 39% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 65% new and 35% one-year-old oak for 22 months. This vintage represents one of the largest percentages of Cabernet Franc for this wine. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it gives notes of kirsch, black raspberries and black plums with touches of cassis, violets, chocolate box and pencil shavings. The palate is medium-bodied, firm, grainy and lively with loads of layers and a long, well-poised finish."

Falstaff: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, dezente Randaufhellung, zart floral unterlegtes schwarzes Beerenkonfit, ein Hauch von Orangenzesten, feine Edelholzwürze. Mittlere Komplexität, reife Herzkirschen, feine tragende Tannine, dunkle Beerenfrucht im Abgang, balancierter Stil."

Jancis Robinson: "Tasted blind. Juicy fruit. Rather sweeter than most of its peers. Solid and with lots to give. Thrummingly vibrant. Very mineral – chewy but convincing."