CHÂTEAU LES CARMES HAUT BRION
2018 Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot. 75% new oak. 18 to 24 months in barrel. Some amphora used too. This is lovely - the nose is oaky and inviting. Silky smooth juice is structured by polished tannins. Concentrated but not loud or weighty. The long autumn allowed the Carmes team to 'pick with conviction'. This is felt in the wine - the balance is superb. Drinking range: 2026 - 2040L&S (Apr 2019)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was aged in 75% new oak with a touch more matured in foudres. It includes 55% whole bunches. This has a slight confit-like aroma on the nose, plush cranberry and wild strawberry intermingling with cassis and violet; aromatically, this is the more precocious recent vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine tannins, clean and pure with excellent acidity keeping everything on an even keel towards the finish. The 2018 has a caressing texture and is very persistent. I might quibble and say that I just find the nose a little trop, but the palate is superb. Tasted at the Les Carmes Haut-Brion vertical at the château. Drinking range: 2026 - 2055 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Oct 2022)
This powerful, full of complex layers of raspberry, blackberry, smoked earth, rosemary and turmeric spice, but running underneath it all is clear salinity and grip. The personality and poise of this wine overtakes the vintage, not an easy thing to do in a year that is as powerful as 2018 and on a warm site such as Carmes Haut-Brion. Touches of saffron and salt-licked as it opens, sage, freshly grilled dried herbs and gourmet espresso and brioche. Enjoyable. 3.62pH, and harvest at almost 1% ABV higher than you find in the final bottle. Ageing takes place in a mix of 25% new oak, 5% oak casks, and 10% amphoras, with 55% stems during fermentation, and natural yeasts. Drinking range: 2025 - 2042 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2022)
The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion was always going to be a wine that I would leave for 12–24 hours to monitor its evolution. It has a splendid bouquet of a mixture of blackberry, freshly rolled tobacco, autumn leaves and touches of brine. It is classic in style and showcases the Cabernet Franc element supremely well. The palate is in many ways uncompromising. The Cabernet is in full effect: herbaceous, with bell pepper and bitter cherry, quite tannic, and for the vintage, one of the most austere wines you will find in Bordeaux, let alone Pessac-Léognan. I personally find it to my taste, but it is not a wine for hedonists seeking bundles of juicy fruit. An intellectual Les Carmes for sure, one that leaves you pondering in which direction it will age. Drinking range: 2024 - 2050 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a total knock-out, just as it was from barrel. Soaring in its aromatic intensity, Les Carmes dazzles from the very first taste. Inky red fruits, mocha, new leather, licorice, dried flowers, sage and mint envelop all the senses. Today, the 2018 appears to be slightly closed, but time brings out tons of aromatic energy and nuance. Cabernet Franc plays the leading role, unusual for this part of the region. Franc aromatics and a fair amount of whole cluster savoriness lend energy but also a feeling of richness without weight that is especially appealing. This is a masterpiece from Les Carmes Haut-Brion and Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier. Drinking range: 2026 - 2048 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
In the same realm as the magical 2016, the 2018 Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion comes from the talented Guillaume Pouthier, who has this estate firing on all cylinders. Checking in as an interesting blend of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Merlot, and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, it was fermented with roughly 40% stems and is expected to spend 18-24 months in 75% new French oak. Its deep purple color is followed by an incredibly pure and complex bouquet of sweet cassis, crushed violets, graphite, smoke tobacco, and beautiful minerality. Medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and elegant on the palate, it shows a more vibrant, fresh side to the vintage, has terrific tannin quality, and is simply pure class any way you look at it. I was served the 1945 Carmes-Haut-Brion by Guillaume blind, and it reminded me of a ripe, youthful vintage from Haut-Brion. It certainly didn’t taste like a wine approaching 75 years in age! This is a magical terroir which is being maximized by Pouthier today. Believe the hype. Rating: 96-98 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)
Barrel sample. Deepest cherry red. Lifted dark-red fruits, inviting and lively aromas with a hint of crushed stones. Juicy and full of beans. Crunchy fruit, well-defined tannins. Not sure why everyone is making so much fuss about this wine. Drinking range: 2024 - 2032 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
The 2018 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is composed of 37% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot. It was made using 52% whole cluster and has 13.75% alcohol. It is anticipated to age 18-24 months in 75% new oak barriques, 16% foudres and 9% amphorae. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is slightly broody and reduced to begin, slowly growing to reveal notions of charcoal, smoked meats, truffles and tilled soil over a core of black raspberries, warm black cherries, blackberry coulis and redcurrant jelly plus wafts of Provence herbs and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is taut and muscular, tense with latent energy, offering a rock-solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the bright, vibrant fruit, finishing long and mineral laced. Rating: 94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
This wine has bold, ripe black fruits and fine acidity. Its structure shows well through the fruitiness of the wine. This will certainly age well. Rating: 93 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)
The march of Carmes Haut-Brion continues in 2018. Once again it stands out for a number of reasons: not least because of its high amount of Cabernet Franc, and also because it is made with 53% whole-bunch fermentation - a brave choice by winemaker Guillaume Poutier and one that pays off hugely in terms of balance and lean muscular build. Even without knowing any of the story behind the bottle, you would be hard-pressed to pass this wine by. It has obvious intensity but as you sit with it the softness and approachability of the tannins becomes apparent, helped by the inviting floral edge to the nose, adding peony and violet lift. The black fruits running through the palate are tight but silky and seductive - this has a higher Cab count than usual because the Merlots were more affected by the challenges of the vintage. The palate pulses, switching between richness and delicacy, feeling expertly handled. You get the feeling that you can relax - they've got everything covered! It will inevitably close down in a few years, but until then you could almost go for it with a good carafe. IPT95. Harvested 13-28 September. 3.58pH. Ageing is mostly in large oak casks, 76% new, plus 9% aged in amphorae. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château Les Carmes Haut Brion
The core of this property is a five hectare vineyard, the only one with an address in Bordeaux itself, Carmes Haut Brion (although neighbouring Haut Brion and co. in Pessac). The little vineyard of Carmes HB, with a dominance of Cabernet Franc - very rare in the area - is planted at a high density of ten thousand vines per hectare. It was once part of Haut Brion, but was given by its owner to an order of nuns, the 'Carmes Blanc', hence the name.
When it was bought by property developer Patrice Pichet in 2010, the vat room consisted of three huge vats, one for each grape variety. Since then the vineyard has been completely restructured, and a new winery has been built.
Pichet has also bought one half of a property called Le Thil, and renamed it the 'Clos des Carmes'. As such it is not a second wine, but an entirely different property. The other half was bought by Smith Haut Lafitte.
M Pichet has also built a rather beautiful new chai, designed by Philippe Starck and the architect Luc Arsène-Henry, which resembles a cross between a submarine and a dreadnought battleship. We'd love to share a photo but it has been firmly embargoed until the unveiling date of the 28th of June 2016.
the winemaker/general manager is Guillaume Pouthier, who previously worked at Chapoutier in the Rhone, and he has brought with him the technique of using up to half whole bunch fermentation, creating layers the destemmed and whole bunch fruit in the vats. One to watch.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.