Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
About Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
In 1584, Jean de Pontac, the Lord of Haut-Brion donated several acres of meadows and vines to the Carmelite Order, therein planting the seed that would eventually become Château les Carmes Haut-Brion. A lesser known neighbour of châteaux Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion in the Pessac-Léognan region of Bordeaux, Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a jewel of a property, positioned on the same bank of gravel (graves) as its more famous namesakes. The estate was confiscated during the French Revolution and purchased by the Léon Colin in 1840. Château les Carmes Haut-Brion remained under the same ownership until 2010, when it was acquired by Patrice Pichet in 2010, who added more acreage to the estate, replanted the vineyards to a higher vine density and improved their winemaking facilities. In addition to producing a red grand vin named Château les Carmes Haut-Brion, the estate produces the red second wine Le C des Carmes.
Viniculture
Named for the order of monks who owned the property in centuries gone by, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion has the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc planted in its vineyard across the entire Left Bank. Its terroir is classical Pessac-Léognan in all its majesty – two sloping banks of deep gravel bound by rich clay and sand, giving rise to wines which, although requiring patience to unfurl, are amongst the finest expressions of the style in modern Bordeaux.
Under the watchful eye of highly renowned consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt, there has been a significant shift towards biodynamic practices at the estate as well as modern advances in the winery such as aging in clay amphoras. Completed for the 2015 vintage and designed by Philippe Starck, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion's state-of-the-art winery and cellar are partially submerged under the estate’s natural lake to give the impression of a ship’s hull.
