Bordeaux classified growth inside the city, making red wines from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The producer
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the only Bordeaux classified growth estate inside Bordeaux city limits. Its red wines use whole bunch fermentation, and Guillaume Pouthier vinifies Cabernet Franc in wood, Cabernet Sauvignon in concrete vats and Merlot in stainless steel vats. Recent top vintages age in 70% new French oak, 19% foudres and 11% amphora. The range has a grand vin and Le Clos des Carmes as a second wine, with annual production of approximately 1,800 cases and 200 cases respectively.
Known for
Urban Bordeaux red wines
Notable facts
The estate is the only Bordeaux classified growth located within Bordeaux city limits.
The Carmelites tended the property from 1584 until the French Revolution.
Cabernet Franc is vinified in wood, Cabernet Sauvignon in concrete vats and Merlot in stainless steel vats.
Recent top vintages age in 70% new French oak, 19% foudres and 11% amphora.
The story
The 2010 Record Sale
In November 2010, Didier Chantecaille Furt and his daughter Penelope sold Château Les Carmes Haut Brion to real estate executive Patrice Pichet for €18 million. The reported price was a record for the estate. The sale changed ownership of a classified growth whose vineyard sits within Bordeaux city limits. At the time, annual production was approximately 1,800 cases of the grand vin and 200 cases of Le Clos des Carmes, the second wine. The transaction placed the estate and its two named bottlings under Pichet's ownership.
From the atlas
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
A Bordeaux classified growth with whole bunch fermentation and ageing across new oak, foudres and amphora.
At A Glance
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Pessac-Léognan
Location
Bordeaux city limits
Main grapes
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
Signature wine
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Defining feature
Whole bunch fermentation and ageing in new French oak, foudres and amphora
The Producer
Guillaume Pouthier gives each grape a separate fermentation vessel. Cabernet Franc is vinified in wood, Cabernet Sauvignon in concrete vats, and Merlot in stainless steel vats. Stéphane Derenoncourt serves as consultant oenologist.
Whole bunches remain part of the fermentation method, bringing stems into the vat before fermentation and maceration. The estate's wines combine a Bordeaux grape blend with varied vessels from fermentation through ageing.
Place
Bordeaux city limits bring an urban microclimate to this Pessac-Léognan estate. Temperatures are 2 to 3 °C higher here, and harvest begins 1 to 2 weeks before properties outside Bordeaux.
Wines
The range has two named bottlings. Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is the grand vin, produced at approximately 1,800 cases or 160 hL annually. Le Clos des Carmes is the second wine, with production of 200 cases or 18 hL.
The current grape composition of the grand vin is 41% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Recent top vintages age in 70% new French oak, 19% foudres and 11% amphora.
In The Glass
Whole bunches leave stems among the grapes during fermentation. Stems can bring perfume, spice and tannin, while the method brings freshness, flavour and aroma. New French oak can add toast and spice; foudres and amphora give the ageing profile less overt oak flavour.
Recent vintages have a cashmere texture, with a soft, flowing palate. Cabernet Franc commonly brings perfume and spice to a Bordeaux blend, Cabernet Sauvignon adds tannin, and Merlot brings a rounder middle palate.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, the grand vin. It is the estate's primary red, while Le Clos des Carmes is the second wine. The bottle carries the château name and Pessac-Léognan on the label, placing the estate's principal bottling in its classified growth category.
Final Word
Jean de Pontac donated land holding a water mill and vineyards to the Carmelite order. The Carmelites tended the property from 1584 until the French Revolution.