Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Brilliant aromas of blackberries, fresh mushrooms and dried flowers. Black licorice as well. Full body, tight and silky with ripe tannins and a linear line to it. Wet earth and spices. Drink in 2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine shows a dense structure marked with concentrated tannins and black plum fruits. The wine is rich and full on the palate, with just the right amount of fresh acidity to give it a lift. Barrel Sample: 91-93
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 La Tour Carnet was a wine that I tasted last year from bottle, so why not give it another whirl to remind readers of its quality. There is a lot going on aromatically with plenty of boisterous black cherry and raspberry fruit, maintaining that floral element that I discerned last year. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, perhaps the oak on this bottle a little more conspicuous than before, but that will be subsumed with two or three years in bottle.
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Tasting Panel
Dark red cherries, plums, smoke, leather and cedar flesh out in the 2014 La Tour Carnet. The style is soft, succulent and open, with lovely overall depth and silky tannins that wrap around the jammy finish. There is lot to like in this tasty Haut-Médoc from Bernard Magrez and Consulting Winemaker Michel Rolland. Barrel Sample: 88-91 pts.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh, with a beam of cherry and black currant fruit, backed by modest tobacco and warm stone notes. The toast is a bit obvious through the finish, but this has good range. Barrel Sample: 87-90
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.