2016 Chateau Carmes Haut Brion – Pessac (750ml)

2016 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion · Pessac-Léognan

One of the most exciting estates in all of Bordeaux, Les Carmes Haut-Brion sits in the heart of Pessac with an unusually high proportion of Cabernet Franc that gives the wine a distinctive, aromatic signature unlike anything else in the appellation. Under technical director Guillaume Pouthier, the estate has emerged as a genuine superstar — and 2016 is widely regarded as its finest hour. Aged 22 months in 65% new French oak with partial whole-cluster fermentation, the wine opens with charcoal, violets, dark cherry, and gravelly minerality, building to a full-bodied palate of extraordinary richness, silky tannins, and a finish that seems to go on indefinitely. Drinking beautifully now but built for decades.