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2021 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan
Tasted April 2022. Meticulous sorting during harvest and Carmes' unique position close to the warmth of Bordeaux city centre have resulted in a textural, soft-fruited wine in 2021. The team used slightly less of their characteristic whole-bunch fermentation technique this year but the wine is still full of beautiful lifted perfume, aromatic plums, hedgerow fruits and gentle spice. The dominant cabernet franc really comes into its own in this vintage, adding a silky coolness to the palate. It has a very mineral, almost chalky note, and a bright, crisp finish. 13.5%.
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Buying in bond means the wine is stored in a bonded warehouse and no duty or VAT has been paid—ideal for storage or resale.
Duty paid means taxes are included and the wine is ready for home delivery and drinking.
Duty paid means taxes are included and the wine is ready for home delivery and drinking.
- Case of 6 Bottles0in basket
- Bottle0in basket
Wine specification
- ProducerChâteau Les Carmes Haut-Brion
- ColourRed Wine
- SweetnessDry
- Region & CountryGraves, Bordeaux, France
- ABV13.5%
- MaturityYoung 2027 – 2044
- StyleStill Wine
Product Description
Tasted April 2022. Meticulous sorting during harvest and Carmes' unique position close to the warmth of Bordeaux city centre have resulted in a textural, soft-fruited wine in 2021. The team used slightly less of their characteristic whole-bunch fermentation technique this year but the wine is still full of beautiful lifted perfume, aromatic plums, hedgerow fruits and gentle spice. The dominant cabernet franc really comes into its own in this vintage, adding a silky coolness to the palate. It has a very mineral, almost chalky note, and a bright, crisp finish. 13.5%.
Critic Scores
98/100 – Antonio Galloni, vinous.com
01/02/2024
The 2021 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is very possibly the wine of the vintage. Vertical and explosive, the 2021 possesses mind-blowing intensity and dynamic energy to burn. The 2021 is a heady, racy wine that captivates all the senses. Tobacco, mocha, cedar, leather, dried herbs, menthol, licorice and plum saturate the palate in a wine that dazzles from start to finish. The 2021 was bottled in late September 2023, much later than most wines, yet it is so expressive today. It was magnificent from barrel, and it is every bit as breathtaking today. Quite simply, Les Carmes is on another level. Bravo!
95/100 – Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate
01/02/2024
The 2021 Les Carmes Haut-Brion has turned out beautifully in bottle, though it is more introverted and brooding than it appeared during en primeur tastings, unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries mingled with spices, loamy soil, licorice, rose petals, gentian and black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a concentrated core of fruit framed by ripe but abundant structuring tannins and bright acids, it concludes with a long, palate-staining finish. As readers may remember, it's a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot.
94-97/100 – William Kelley, Wine Advocate , Issue #260
29/04/2022
A brilliant and intensely individual wine, the 2021 Les Carmes Haut-Brion shows immense potential. Wafting from the glass with aromas of rich berries and plums mingled with notions of raw cocoa, loamy soil, rose petals, burnt sage and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, vibrant and seamless, with a deep, dynamic core of fruit and a long, penetrating finish. Transcending the limitations of the vintage, it wouldn't surprise me were this wine ultimately to surpass the 2019 and 2020 in quality. It's a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot that's maturing in 70% new oak and the rest in 15-hectoliter foudres. Tasted twice.