Winemaker Notes
The average age of the vines is 24 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Mint and herbs set the scene for a ripe, black-fruited, relatively soft wine, where the tannins are charming rather than firm. But it's easy to imagine this wine broadening and developing a more structured character later. Barrel Sample: 92-94
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Connoisseurs' Guide
51% Merlot; 43% Cabernet Sauvignon; 6% Other. In the top vintages, there are always going to be bargains to be had in the best of the lower-priced Bordeaux, and this wine is certainly one of them. Its Merlot aspects roar through in aromas that are first and foremost oriented to red cherries and creamy oak, and the wine makes good use of its Cabernet Sauvignon portion to add in pleasing suggestions of currants and brambles. It is fairly high in tannin and will age for a decade or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 La Tour Carnet had a strong showing for this cru classe owned by Bernard Magrez. A blend of 51% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this dense purple-colored wine has notes of lead pencil shavings, cassis, and subtle, smoky oak. Full-bodied with sweet, savory black fruits and light, velvety tannin, this wine is just entering its plateau of maturity. Anticipated maturity: now-2030.
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Wine Spectator
A pretty wine, with vanilla, currant and berry on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, with toasty oak and currant notes and ripe, polished tannins. Best after 2013. 17,000 cases made.
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.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.