Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion 2015
- Vintage
- 2015
- Country
- France
- Region
- Bordeaux,Pessac-Leognan
- Size
- 750ml
- Rating
- WS95, WA94
- Grape
- Merlot,Cabernet Sauvignon
Dense and broad, with warm dark plum, fig and blackberry confiture flavors rolling over one another, backed by a broad swath of tar and roasted apple wood. This is packed with serious grip, featuring bramble, licorice snap and intense sweet tobacco notes on the back end, all of which combine with the fruit for a powerfully rendered finish. Distinct and impressive. Best from 2025 through 2040. - WS95
The 2015 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a blend of 44% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 24 months in 80% new and 20% one-year-old oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it has pronounced notes of crushed black and red currants, warm blackberries and black pepper with touches of cedar chest, pencil lead and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, very fine and with plenty of black and red fruit layers, it has a plush backbone and seamless acid, finishing earthy. - WA94
The Carmes Haut-Brion estate goes back to the 16th century and has remained remarkably stable over the years. In 1584, Jean de Pontac, the lord of Haut-Brion, donated a large mill with surrounding meadows and vines to the Carmelite Order. This haven of peace and garden of plenty also had an unlimited supply of pure water thanks to a spring feeding a fountain called d’Eubrion.
The Carmelites remained the sole owners of the estate for over two centuries, which gradually acquired the name of « Carmes Haut-Brion » over the years. They also expanded their land holding to other parts of the Haut-Brion vineyard.
Taken over by the state during the French Revolution, Les Carmes Haut-Brion was sold in 1840 to Léon Colin, a Bordeaux wine merchant and ancestor of the Chantecailles. The Chantecaille-Furt family owned and managed the estate for generations, until quite recently.
A new chapter in the château’s history began in 2010 when it was purchased by the Pichet real estate group, established in the Aquitaine region a quarter of a century previous by Patrice Pichet. The property at this time consisted of 5 hectares of vines as well as beautiful grounds designed by landscape artist Louis-Bernard Fischer in the 19th century. Although this prestigious acquisition was a natural part of the group’s diversification strategy, it also reflected the founder’s passion for Bordeaux wine and his strong belief in the estate’s unique potential.