Winemaker Notes
Château de Carles is the property’s traditional wine, conceived of in the same exacting spirit as Haut-Carles, but with less intensity and concentration, such that the resulting wines are simpler, supple, openly fruity and delicious to drink young, though they can also age harmoniously. Production comes to around 30,000 bottles.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blueberry and blackberry character with spices and dried flowers, following through to a medium body, firm and chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Drink from 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chateau de Carles has a clean and precise bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit mixed with violets and iris, the oak very well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, blackberry and raspberry tinged with tobacco and a slightly short, but nicely detailed finish. Good potential. Rating: 89-91
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.
Home of the very first remarkable Right Bank wines, dating back to the 1730s, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac actually retained more fame than Pomerol well into the 19th century. Today these wines represent some of Bordeaux’s best hidden gems.
Fronsac is a very small region at an unusually high elevation compared to other Bordeaux appellations. Its vineyards unroll along the oak-dotted hills bordering the river’s edge, making it perhaps Bordeaux’s prettiest and most majestic countryside.
Merlot covers 60% of the vineyard acreage; the rest of the vines are Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac appellations are limited to the higher land where soils are predominantly limestone and sandstone. Lower vineyards along the Dordogne River mainly qualify for Bordeaux AOC status
The best Fronsac are deeply concentrated in ripe red and black berry; they have a solid mineral backbone and are rich and plush on the finish.