Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, 2025

"Deep dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Ripe dark berry fruit, a hint of plums, floral touch, pleasant herbal spice, some nougat and orange zest. Complex, yet lively, ripe cherries and cranberries, fine, ripe tannins, literally opens up in the mouth, delicate extract sweetness, lingers for minutes, already very convincing in its youth, cassis and ripe cherries on the finish, delicate and multifaceted, great future potential."

"The precision is so seductive and intellectual, with aromas of fresh flowers, iron, graphite, cedar, blood oranges and black fruit. It's medium-bodied with a compact palate of intense tannins that melt into the wine. Rather weightless in nature. It kicks in at the end with incredible intensity and focus. 13% alcohol. 65% whole cluster. 54% cabernet franc, 29% cabernet sauvignon and 17% merlot, mostly co-fermented."

"Almost opaque in color, it takes no effort to dig into the floral display. From there you encounter black cherries, licorice, spice box, menthol, cigar wrappers, blackberries and crushed rocks in the aromas. The palate is what steals the show with its vivid display of black, with red fruits, elegant, silky textures, and most importantly, purity of fruit. The velvety finish spreads all over your palate with touches of sea-salt, cocoa, Indian spices and lingering, dark fruits. Clearly, this is in competition with the best vintages the estate has ever produced. The ability to manage the potential of hydric stress, due to their terroir is a large part of what helped make 2025 such a success. The wine was made using 65% whole bunch clusters, blending 54% Cabernet Franc, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17% Merlot. It is interesting to note this is the highest percentage of Cabernet ever included in the blend. I think it really works here. 13% ABV, pH 3.59. The wine is aging in a combination of 70% new, French oak, 19% foudres, and 11% amphora. Picking took place September 7- September 19."

"The 2025 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a huge, powerful wine that is going to need many years to come into its own. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, incense, melted road tar and licorice make a bold entrance. Fertility in the Merlots was low. As a result, the 2025 has the highest amount of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon ever, 83% in total as opposed to the more typical 70% or so. Whole clusters, always a part of the approach here, are 65%. Time on skins was 45 days at 27°C (80.6°F) compared to the 35 days at 30°C (86°F) that is more typical. Readers will find an especially deep, potent Carmes, a wine that will need the better part of a decade to shed some of its considerable baby fat. It's a telling example of the vintage, with 1% less alcohol than in most recent years. Today the 2025 is a mere infant. It's another exceptional wine from Technical Director Guillaume Pouthier and his team."