Château Les Carmes Haut Brion - Pessac-Léognan 2009

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

par Neal Martin le 19/02/2013

Tasted at the château in Bordeaux. The 2009 is very intense on the nose with blackberry, raspberry, soy and crushed stone that is very well defined but tightly coiled. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, very well defined black fruit laced with tobacco and cedar, the Cabernet Sauvignon dominating the graphite finish rather than the Cabernet Franc (which is some feat given that it is only a bit-player in the blend.) Superb. Tasted November 2012.

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

par Neal Martin le 01/01/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Les Carmes Haut-Brion '09 has a very showy ostentatious bouquet with ripe black fruit, creme de cassis and blueberry that explodes from the glass. The palate is full-bodied with rounded succulent black fruit, low acidity, plush and generous with a long sweet, rather oaky finish. It bears similarities to Smith Haut Lafitte in style although compared to the bottle last November there is just a touch more weight on the finish. Tasted January 2013.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 31/07/2012

Medium ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of black raspberry, licorice, wild herbs and minerals. Sweet, lush and densely packed, with concentrated black cherry and black raspberry flavors offering considerable early appeal. Finishes with rising fruit and big, ripe tannins. This is superb already but should evolve positively for 10 to 12 years.

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

par Robert Parker le 29/02/2012

Beautiful, Burgundian-like aromas of burning embers, roasted Provencal herbs, black currants and sweet cherries and raspberries emerge from this medium-bodied, elegant 2009 Pessac-Leognan. Medium to full-bodied and seductive with sweet tannins as well as a surprisingly evolved, precocious personality (even for a 2009), it will offer delicious drinking over the next 15+ years. This is another wine in which I noticed subtle bottle variation.

Jamessuckling.com

93 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2012

Round and friendly, with soft and velvety tannins and delicious plum, spice and meaty aromas and flavors. Juicy finish. Subtle and rich. Better in 2016.

Wine Spectator

92 / 100

par James Molesworth le 11/01/2012

Still youthfully tight, this shows a packed core of plum, cassis and blackberry fruit wrapped with bittersweet cocoa, tobacco and charcoal notes. Nice drive marks the finish, with gorgeous polish, as a mouthwatering linzer torte note expands as it opens in the glass. Drink now through 2020.-J.M

Le Figaro

91-93 / 100

par Bernard Burtschy le 30/06/2010

Robe très sombre. Nez intense, très fumé. En bouche, souple et léger, demi-corps, bien équilibré, tout en délicatesse.

timatkin.com

93 / 100

par Tim Atkin MW le 30/06/2010

14% alcohol. 55M, 30CF, 15CS The venerable plantings of Cabernet Franc really come through on the nose here, with notes of green pepper, violets and lead pencil. On the palate, the wine is fresh and elegant, with svelte tannins and bright, complex fruit. Not as profound as its near neighbours, but certain to be a lot more affordable. A medium-term keeper. 10+ years.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89-92 / 100

par Ian D'Agata le 30/06/2010

Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black fruits, licorice, minerals and tobacco. Rich, ripe and soft, with creamy blueberry and blackcurrant fruit flavors given lift and clarity by sound acidity and solid minerality. Finishes with sweet tannins and subtle persistence. This wine could use a touch more finesse but should make a very enjoyable drink in a sweet, upfront, very modern style, at the same time managing to convey the minerally terroir of Pessac-Leognan.

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

par René Gabriel le 28/06/2010

Tiefes Purpur. Delikates, sich langsam öffnendes Bouquet, schwarze Pflaumen, Tabak, ein Hauch Lakritze, schöne Tiefe. Samtener Gaumen, sehr feine Kaschmirtannine um den Extrakt, im Nachklang feine Schwarzschoko-Bitternoten. Grossartiges Potenzial. 2015-2033

La Revue du Vin de France

16-17 / 20

le 31/05/2010

Le château Les Carmes Haut Brion, qui se situe au niveau d'un cru classé, a bénéficié cette année de la superbe réussite de ses cabernets francs. C'est d'ailleurs, avec 30% de l'encépagement, l'un des châteaux de la Rive gauche qui en possède le plus. Cette année, l'onctuosité des tanins le dispute à la plénitude en milieu de bouche. La patte Derenoncourt.

Le Point

14,5 / 20

par Jacques Dupont le 06/05/2010

Fruits noirs, bouche souple en attaque, assez élégant, un peu serré en finale. O=2014 G=10 ans

TAST

17,5 / 20

par Bettane & Desseauve le 30/04/2010

Beau nez racé et fondu de réglisse, prune, cerise et épices, somptueux de texture et d’allonge, remarquable échantillon et certainement un vin de grand avenir.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

par Neal Martin le 30/04/2010

Tasted at the Graves UGC. This has a very upfront nose with black, slightly gamey fruit that nods towards the Rhone, but there is also very fine definition and purity, a sense of exuberance to this Les Carmes. The palate is full-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, that gamey quality coming through on the entry, lovely structure, smoky black fruits, cooked meat, a touch of sage towards the finish. Real character to this 2009 Les Carmes. Superb. Tasted April 2010.

Falstaff

91-93 / 100

par Peter Moser le 30/04/2010

Reife Herzkirschen, zart nach Dörrobst, etwas verhalten, Edelholzanklang. Kraftvoll, gut integrierte Tannine, ausgewogen, mit reifer Kirschenfrucht unterlegt, feine Bitterschokonote, bleibt gut haften, hat Reifepotenzial.

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

par Robert Parker le 28/04/2010

This ethereal, lighter-styled 2009 (no doubt because of the high Cabernet Franc content) is somewhat difficult to fully evaluate at this stage, but it exhibits beautifully sweet, pure, blue and red fruits (raspberries) in a medium-bodied format. The wine is sublime in its softness, finesse, and delicacy. It should put on weight and perform even better in a year or two, and should drink nicely for 15+ years. (Tasted three times.) Drink 2011-2026.

Periodic Review of Wine

91-93 / 100

par Alan Duran le 28/04/2010

This wonderful estate has produced back to back success stories. The 2009 vintage may ultimately exceed the fabulous 2008! It's an opaque ruby hued Les Carmes that offers big notes of pensil dust, blackberry, blueberry, white flower, and sweet cigar smoke flavor infused with blackberry, an old-school style in mouth, amazing length, and definition of flavors. This wine is hard to replicate. Awesome! Maturity period 2015-2029.

Wine Spectator

93-96 / 100

par James Suckling le 09/04/2010

This is gorgeous, with blackberry and licorice and spice. Full and silky-textured tannins turn chewy, but finishes with class. Best ever? So impressive.

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 07/04/2010

Some race and savour. Glossy fruit and real succulence. Pretty dry on the finish but not exaggeratedly drying. One can see Graves here thank goodness! Intense and reasonably complex and ambitious for the long term. Drink 2018-2030