96

Neal Martin

Vinous

The 2016 Les Carmes Haut-Brion offers finely tuned blackberry and briar aromas, and hints of cigar box and wild mint emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fleshy and well-defined, leading into a fine-boned, classically styled and quite persistent finish. There is clearly some top-notch winemaking behind this deeply impressive Pessac-Léognan. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. August 2020

95+

Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Robert Parker/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. November 2018

97

James Suckling

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. Dezember 2019