Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan 2006 is a mature Bordeaux that beautifully showcases the estate’s signature combination of finesse, minerality and elegance. Sweet raspberry and red currant lead into earthy, spicy notes of tobacco leaf, smoke, iron and stone, with supple tannins and a fresh, linear finish.

James Suckling | JS 91
Published: Jun 08, 2021

A tight, very firm red with earth, currant, iron and stone aromas and flavors. Medium body, reserved tannins and a fresh, linear finish. Old-style Bordeaux. Drink now.

The Wine Advocate | RP 90
Published: Feb 25, 2009
Drink: 2011-2026

Another beautiful example of minerality, finesse, elegance, and complexity, this earthy, spicy 2006 exhibits sweet raspberry and red currant fruit accompanied by hints of barbecue smoke and tobacco leaf. Medium-bodied, pure, and not terribly powerful, it is built around delicacy and purity. Give it 2-4 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following 15 years.

Jancis Robinson | JR 16.5
Published: Apr 22, 2016
Drink: 2024-2028

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Evolved rim. Evolved, mature, round nose, not without charm. Hint of tarmacadam and very round supple tannins until some austerity on the finish. Jancis Robinson

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.

2016 Blend : 45 % Merlot 45 % Cabernet Franc 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon

Colour : Red
AOC : Pessac-Léognan
Owner : Patrice Pichet
Estate Manager : Guillaume Pouthier
Consultants : Derenoncourt Consultants

Vineyard
Plantation density : 10 000 vines / ha
Average age of the vines in 2019 : 37 years-old
Soil types : Mindel graves on clay and limestone
Harvesting : 100 % hand-picked
Harvest dates : 17th - 3rd October 2007

The mild and wet winter and spring required considerable work in the vineyard, with careful leaf-thinning and crop thinning. This additional work, combined with a sunny September during the harvest and rigorous sorting, nevertheless enabled the estate to harvest healthy grapes and produce a vintage marked by finesse and elegance, embodying the characteristic qualities of the great Bordeaux classics.