Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion Pessac Leognan 2012
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Robert
Parker -
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Enthusiast -
James
Suckling -
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Spectator
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The atypical blend of grape varieties is yet another factor in what makes the estate so special. These proportions are particularly well-adapted to the terroir and contribute to the wine’s unique profile: complex aromatics, both powerful and refined, in keeping with the very finest wines of Pessac-Léognan.
Blend: 42% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An inky, bluish-black color, this wine has deep black raspberry and blueberry notes mixed with charcoal, graphite and subtle smoke. Rich, full-bodied and silky textured, this complex, stunning Pessac-Léognan from this tiny jewel of a vineyard near Haut Brion is hitting all the high notes in 2012. It should drink well for 15-20. This is another bottled wine that dramatically out-performed its barrel sample.
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Wine Enthusiast
New wood shows strongly in this wine that has structure and a dry core to match the ripe berry fruits and rich texture. The wine has potential with its juicy fruitiness and dark chocolate flavors. Wait until 2019 before drinking.
Cellar Selection -
James Suckling
On the nose and palate this red suggests blackberries with cedar notes and hints of spices. Full body, silky tannins, fresh acidity and a long finish. The minerality and length is wonderful. This keeps getting better and better. Drink in 2020.
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Wine Spectator
Features a smoldering tobacco edge around the core of steeped plum and raspberry fruit, while hints of dried anise and alder line the finish. Shows range and character, with well-embedded acidity bolstering the length. Best from 2016 through 2022.
Other Vintages
2005-
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Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
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Spectator
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
In 1584, he therefore donated a water-mill, surrounded by meadows and wines, to the Carmelites of Haut-Brion.
The Friars kept the name "Haut-Brion" for 200 years, before common usage gradually changed it into "Carmes Haut-Brion".
It was bought at the beginning of the last century by Léon Colin, a wine negociant in Bordeaux and a direct ancestor of the current owners, the Chantecaille-Furt family.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.