2019 Ch. Les Carmes Haut Brion - Pessac Léognan | € 135,00 (€ 163,35) |
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De Grand Vin van Les Carmes Haut Brion vindt zijn oorsprong in een stedelijke wijngaard van 7,6 ha beplant met 39% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc en 21% Cabernet Sauvignon tegen 10.000 wijnstokken per hectare. Waarom is één van de meest besproken trendsetters in het hedendaagse Bordeaux? Guillaume Pouthier maakt er sinds enkele jaren atypische wijnen. Cabernet Franc is hun hoeksteen. Echte wijnliefhebbers hebben deze niet geclasseerde Pessac Léognan, China nog niet. Stalen werden niet verzonden en we maakten dus gretig de verplaatsing naar de rue des Carmes na ontbijt op ons hotel. Pouthier's werkwijze à la Rhodanienne vergeet effeuillage en promoot hogere palissage. Hij streeft naar gepolymeriseerde tannines die smakelijk blijven op elk stadium van hun ontwikkeling. Die aparte stijl ligt helemaal dans l'air du temps: consumenten willen sneller genot en bewaarpotentieel verzoend zien. We complimenteren en zien bijvoorbeeld gelijkenissen met de Côte Rotie van Jamet. De oogst vond plaats tussen 17 en 29 september. Volledige trossen werden gevinifieerd. Infusion vervangt hier extraction. Een soort opblaasbare doughnut doet daarbij het fijnere werk. Het assemblage bestaat uit 42% Cabernet Franc, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon en 27% Merlot. Slechts 13,3%vol, IPT 82 en pH 3,56. Het élevage gebeurt voor 84% op nieuwe Franse eik, voor 7% op foudres en voor 9% op amfoor, gedurende 18 à 24 maand. De 42.000 te bottelen flessen zijn al uitgevochten. Wie heel erg vriendelijk is krijgt enkele flesjes. IN DE PERS 97+ Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (Februari 2022) Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier turned out another stellar wine with the 2019 Les Carmes Haut-Brion. Elegant, polished and wonderfully nuanced to the core, the 2019 dazzles right out of the gate. Whole clusters enhance a whole range of Cabernet Franc inflections in a wine that is immediately seductive. On the palate, the 2019 is creamy and textured. Plum, blood orange, spice, mocha and dried herbs lend an exotic quality that is so alluring. The 2019 is a mysterious, totally seductive wine that no one who is serious about Bordeaux will want to miss. To be sure, Les Carmes is far from typical, but it is incredibly unique. Its longevity is likely to be measured in multiples of decades. Quite simply, I loved it. Drink 2029-2069. 96 William Kelley – robertparker.com (April 2022) The 2019 Les Carmes Haut-Brion has turned out very well in bottle. Mingling aromas of plums and cassis with notions of blood orange, warm spices and new oak, it's full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with an ample core of bright, succulent fruit that's framed by an elegantly muscular chassis of ripe, powdery tannins and lively acids. Concluding with a long, expansive finish, it's reminiscent of a more giving, extroverted version of Pouthier's superb 2016. As is now the rule at this address, some whole bunches were retained during maceration, and the wine saw a long élevage in a variety of vessels, from classic 225-liter Bordeaux barriques to foudres and amphorae. The blend is dominated by 42% Cabernet Franc, complemented by 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot. Drink 2026-2060. The irrepressible Guillaume Pouthier has delivered another fine success at this 6.9-hectare Pessac-Léognan estate. Viticulture at this address is rather innovative, with great attention paid to managing hydric stress: soils are worked at night or during the day, and sometimes the cover crop is rolled rather than being cultivated, on a parcel-by-parcel basis, all with a view to creating the necessary hydric deficit for optimal maturation without going too far, causing the vines to shut down. Deleafing (traditionally performed to expose the grapes to sunshine and improve canopy airflow) has been banished to retain fresh, vibrant flavors. And since the 2015 vintage, when the château's new "Noah's Ark" winery was completed, conditions have been fully adapted to Pouthier's methods. Winemaking is rather reductive, featuring important percentages of whole bunches and vinification in tanks where floating lids keep the cap moist and immersed in the fermenting must below; and Pouthier, a Chapoutier alumnus, favors rather long macerations. Élevage of the young wines is long: generally around 24 months—in a mixture of barrels, foudres and ceramic vessels—and extending as long as 30 months in the 2013 vintage, a notable success at this address in the context of a very challenging year. All this is delivering very singular wines (with comparatively moderate alcohol levels, incidentally), without changing Les Carmes Haut-Brion distinctive, Cabernet Franc-driven DNA. 97 Jane Anson – janeanson.com (Februari 2022) Rippling violet and peony waves alongside creamy blueberry and raspberry fruits, this is a gorgeous 2019 that continues a strong run of vintages at the estate. Slate-textured, salt-licked stones, rosemary and saffron-edged, white truffle spice. Takes its time and stretches out through the palate, tingling and enticing. Technical director Guillaume Pouthier has created something here that stands on its own, with complexity and nuance. Give it a full five or six years before opening. 3.59ph. 60% stems, and once again you see the difference it makes not only in nuance and philosophy but also in the actual physical properties of the wine. 96 Jane Anson – decanter.com (Juni 2020) Inky purple in colour, with peony and iris aromatics, then a whoosh of freshness that makes your mouth water before you are even halfway through. This is extremely impressive, well balanced, with fine tannins and real discretion but hidden power and depths. Clear floral character, with an austerity that makes you celebrate minerality. There are gourmet touches but the focus is rather on slate, rosemary and crushed stones with hints of chocolate shavings alongside the damson and blackberry fruit. 3.56pH, 80% in casks, 11% 20hl wood and 9% amphoras, 55% whole bunch fermentation (which brings the alcohol down to this relatively low level for the estate's location). A wine to surprise those who think Bordeaux can't deliver understatement. Tannin count of 82IPT. Drinking Window: 2024 – 2044. 98+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown – thewineindependent.com (Mei 2022) The 2019 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is made from 50% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Merlot, with 70% whole-bunch fermentation. It has undergone two years' aging in 90% new oak, and 10% amphorae. Deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly emerges from the glass to offer a powerful nose of pure cassis, fresh, juicy blackberries, and plum preserves with hints of pencil shavings, fallen leaves, crushed rocks, and rose petals, plus a hint of charcuterie. Medium-bodied, the palate really packs a punch of fruit, supported by fantastic tension and very firm, ripe, grainy tannins, finishing very long and layered. A tongue-tingling wine, it has lots of texture interest from grapes, stems, and oak. 95 Neal Martin - vinous.com (April 2022) The 2019 Les Carmes Haut-Brion contains 60% whole bunches, matured for 26 months in 82% new oak with 9% each of amphora and foudres. This has a beautifully-defined bouquet with pure Dorset plum, wild mint and incense aromas, just a hint of lavender in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with choselled tannins, crisp acidity, tensile from start to finish with a long mineral, sapid aftertaste. It will vie with the 2016 for the best recent vintage. Tasted at the Les Carmes Haut-Brion vertical at the château. Drink 2026-2060. 98 Jeb Dunnuck – jebdunnuck.com (April 2022) I wasn't able to taste the 2019 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion from barrel, but it certainly brings the goods from bottle. Deep ruby/purple-hued, with a smorgasbord-like array of red, blue, and black fruits as well as violets, candied flowers, tobacco, and sappy herbs, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, concentrated mouthfeel, flawless balance, and that rare mix of power and elegance that truly great Pessac can deliver. Showing the more elegant style of the vintage, it checks in behind the magical, perfect 2018 but is very much in the style of the 2016. Readers will love having this beauty in the cellar, and it will evolve for 40-50 years if stored correctly. Hats off to winemaker Guillaume Pouthier for another thrilling wine. NG James Lawther MW – jancisrobinson.com (Juni 2020) 97 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (Februari 2022) What a great nose with such complexity of blackberry, forest floor, mushroom and bark. Like walking in a deep forest. Full-bodied with a dense palate, yet it remains energetic and focused. Very fine texture. Flavorful finish. Extremely persistent. Fantastic young 2019. Try after 2028. 99-100 Yohan Castaign – anthocyanes.com (Juni 2020) 97 Jean-Marc Quarin – quarin.com (Juni 2020) 98 Terre de Vins – terredesvins.com (Juni 2020) Les Carmes Haut BrionSinds 2012 maakt Les Carmes Haut Brion schitterende wijnen, met 2016 en 2018 als voorlopige benchmarks. Een anecdote: het is de enige Grand Cru Classé met een postcode in Bordeaux stad: 33000. Hij werd in december 2010 gekocht door de immobiliënmakelaar Patrice Pichet voor la Patrimoniale Foncière Pichet. Deze initiële aankoop van 7,6 hectare was de duurste transactie ooit in de geschiedenis van Bordeaux. Ondertussen is 25,5 hectare in bezit en sinds 2015 gebruiken ze nieuwe installaties gebouwd door designer Philippe Starck en architect Luc Arsène-Henry. De encépagement is atypisch voor Pessac Léognan: 41% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Franc en de rest Cabernet Sauvignon. Régisseur Guillaume Pouthier kwam over van bij Chapoutier en Stéphane Derenoncourt en Simon Blanchard zijn consulenten. |