CHÂTEAU LES CARMES HAUT BRION

There is depth of fruit on the nose and the start of the palate has lots of black cherry. It feels lighter and fresher in the middle the fruit underpinned by firm tannins but there is slightly more depth on the finish. 2018-28 Rating: 86-89 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2014)

Consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt is not the biggest fan of the vintage, but some of his best wines are commendably complex and ambitious in these circumstances. This will age better than many 2013s, showing flavours of tangerine, vanilla oak and textured black fruits and a skeleton of tannin. 2020-30 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2014)

Strict, tart and lean with a really strong punch of fruit this seems far too dry to even out but I wouldn’t bet against it. There is a long finish and it’s layered with plum and prune fruit and dark chocolate, too. Interesting, but needs time to settle. Rating: 17+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2014)

A bit of VA here, but the fruit character is very ripe and perfumed. Super-charged tannins which are very fine but still don’t quite fit into the structure. Perhaps deserves the benefit of some bottle age, to do justice to the pleasant aromatic range. (RH) Drink 2018-2028. Rating: 16+ Richard Hemming MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2014)

Dense black-red, extracted, concentrated black fruits, big chewy, chunky wine made to impress. Drink: 2018-2028. Rating: 16.75 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2014)

Fresh and direct, featuring good plum, red currant and floral notes, with a nice iron and savory spine holding the finish. Mouthwatering. Rating: 88–91 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2014)

The 2013 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the riper, more opulent wines readers will come across in this vintage. Dark red cherry, plum, smoke and spices all hit the palate as the 2013 shows off its super-distinctive personality. The style is ripe and flashy, but it all works very nicely. The creamy, textured finish is a thing of pure beauty. Quite unusually, in 2013, Les Carmes is dominated by Cabernet Franc, which makes up a whopping 59% of the blend, along with 22% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon. Rating: 89-92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)

The Les Carmes Haut-Brion, a blend of 59% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot, has a high-toned bouquet with iodine scents merging with the macerated black cherries. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins, well-judged acidity and yet the finish feels a little blunt and lacks fleshiness. Tasted three times on separate occasions, none of them was really convincing, which is a shame as I have a lot of time for this vineyard. Let’s see after bottling.Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)

Impressive texture of ripe tannins, spices, dark berries and cherries. Full body. Juicy fruit. Excellent for the vintage. Showing the new-found quality of this estate. 59% cabernet franc, 22% merlot and 19% cabernet sauvignon. Rating: 91-92 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2014)