Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion 4 Items Follow

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the only Bordeaux property located within the city of Bordeaux. Its tiny vineyard, the Clos des Carmes, is located in the heart of the city and dates back to the 16th century. In 1584, the Carmelite Reverend Fathers inherited the Crespiac mill, where they stayed for around two centuries. Then, in 1855, the Colin family became the new owners, and the estate subsequently came under the ownership of the Chantecaille family. In 2010, Patrice Pichet and his family acquired the estate, which a few merchants and négociants called the 'sleeping beauty of Bordeaux'. The Pichet family's arrival marked the beginning of a transformative chapter for this historic estate, with significant modernization and investment taking place at the château.

The renewal process began with the vineyard itself. Missing elements were replanted, slopes were corrected and the variety of grapes was updated to reinstate Cabernet Franc, which has been the main variety in the blend since 2013. Vine cultivation is also guided by an environmentally friendly approach, with horses used for all soil work. Here, nature is not constrained but revealed.

Then there are the people: Guillaume Pouthier, the new managing director, and Guillaume Deschepper, the technical director. Neither of them are from Bordeaux; they come from an iconic house in the Rhône Valley and have a new vision of what constitutes a great wine.

Finally, a new, state-of-the-art winery was constructed, designed by the renowned architects Philippe Starck and Luc Arsène-Henry.

The ambition was to elevate the estate to new heights while honoring its centuries-old heritage.

One of the most daring moves was the estate’s pioneering use of whole-cluster fermentation, a technique that had never before been employed in Bordeaux. This gave the wine a unique character and balance.

Over the last 10 years, the estate has undergone enormous progression and transformation, resulting in the production of wines of unparalleled character and depth. This has cemented the estate’s reputation as a beacon of innovation and tradition in the Bordeaux wine landscape and beyond.