The 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a standout, blending power and finesse beautifully. It features a deep, complex profile with aromas of blackberries, spices, rose petals, and cocoa. The palate is harmonious and weightless, with vibrant fruit, elegance, and a long, refined finish. A blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 26% Merlot, it showcases a fine balance between freshness and richness. The wine benefits from innovative winemaking methods, including whole-bunch fermentation and maturation in a mix of new oak, foudres, and amphorae. It's a wine of both elegance and structure, set to age beautifully.

Decanter | D 100
Published: Jan 3, 2023
Drink: 2028-2048

The best 2020s seem to be confident without showing off or shouting too loudly and this Carmes does just that. Focused and precise, this is complex and characterful, rich yet vibrant with a texture and taste that makes an impact straight away. Fresh black fruits, floral notes and sensational minerality do the talking - it has weight, density and structure - broad and bold yet svelte, it has direction and persistence, building quickly then settling and elongating with such clarity and purity. This is a wine you want to drink. Cool, classic, sharp and decisive with a flawless texture. Whereas 2019 was more generous, this is more classic and easy to understand. An excellent job - seemingly effortless winemaking in 2020 - and a bottle that is sure to be emptied pretty quickly.

James Suckling | JS 98
Published: May 14, 2023

Gorgeous aromas of crushed berries with orange peel. Fresh spices. Flowers. Salty. Full and so bright and vivid, with an elegance and beauty at the beginning and then it goes on and on. You see the intense fine tannins at the end. Dusty and bright. Unique wine. 55% whole cluster. 80% new wood, 10% amphora, and 10% foudra.

The Wine Advocate | RP 97
Published: Apr 06, 2023
Drink: 2025-2055

The 2020 Les Carmes Haut-Brion has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, red fruits, exotic spices, rose petals, raw cocoa and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered, it's intensely flavored but weightless, with a compelling sense of harmony and a long, orange-inflected finish. A blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot, it was vinified with some 65% whole bunch and attained 13.5% alcohol. This is the first vintage where Pouthier's methods (whole bunch with weighted cap and long élevage incorporating larger vessels) were applied writ large, and the results are striking.

Jancis Robinson | JR 17
Published: Feb 15, 2024
Drink: 2028-2040

Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Lifted, ripe and oaky dark fruit. Juicy and refined on the palate, with real elegance and freshness. Not a blockbuster but harmonious and compelling in its refinement. 

Les-carmes-haut-brion.com

The top wine, the pride of the estate, has successfully created a synthesis between power and finesse, radiance and depth.

Among the classic elegance of Pessac-Léognan, the Carmes top wine has carved out its own niche. Unprecedented proportions of Cabernet Franc offer a silky power which is then supported by the intensity of Cabernet Sauvignon. Within this structure, Merlot develops rounded and refined fruitiness: balance is the order of the day, ensuring a style that is complex and delicious in equal measures.

This year when... the spring was even, there was even a frost. And then the story of this vintage continued with hot and dry weather.
Beyond the weather conditions, it is a «battle of the tennins» which continues and which occupies the team at les Carmes.
Seeking tirelessly and down to the smallest detail to construct these wines like stories, which roll out and unfold, revealing an energy that gradually diffuses, and calls for the sequel. Work, in the background, of precision engraving. 

Technical Specs

Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Natural Cork
Harvest: 2020
Oak: 80% new French oak, 11% 18hl foudres, 9% terracotta amphorae
Varietals: 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot
Vineyard: Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Average Vine Age: 42 years
Planting Density: 10,000 vines/ha
Soil: Mindel gravel over clay and limestone
Harvest: Hand-picked, 14–26 September 2020
Vinification: 35 days in temperature-controlled stainless steel, concrete and wooden vats; approximately 50–55% whole bunches, with gentle extraction and no crushing
Maturation: 24 months
Estate Manager: Guillaume Pouthier
Consultants: Derenoncourt Consultants
Region: Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux

Serving Temperature: 16–18°C
Decanting: 2 hours
Food Pairing: Roast lamb, beef tenderloin, duck, venison, grilled steak, mushroom dishes and mature cheeses