2019 Les Carmes Haut Brion

[PghMike]

Here we go. High hopes for this one. Nose really powerful out of the bottle so off to a good start.

[JimHow]

They say that’s supposed to be good.

[Comte Flaneur]

The 2020 and 2022 have garnered some 100 pt scores. Never entirely convinced by this estate but I did like the 2020…more a 95 pt wine than 100 pts.

[greatbxfreak]

Imho, one of the top wines in 2019 vintage. 100p for me. 2020 is almost as flamboyant as 2019 but not quite as sensual. 2022 then hit all the boxes and more!

[greatbxfreak]

PghMike,

Try to taste 2019 LCHB over two hours and you will see how it develops. I experienced a fantastic show-up when I tasted it last year.

[PghMike]

Nose jumps out of the bottle and the glass with a baked berry fruit tart, menthol, asphalt and dark chocolate. Perhaps I was having a good nose day today, but I dont think I've enjoyed just taking in the aromas from a wine so much in quite some time.

Elegant and balanced. Red and blue fruit dominated the first glasses. Blue and black later in the evening. Touch of strawberry. Currants. Black cherry. Acidity from start to finish. Tannins felt well integrated.

I had no problem drinking this now and enjoyed it thoroughly.

13.5 percent abv.

[greatbxfreak]

PghMike - exactly!

Tasted in July last year. My first "meeting" with this wine as I didn't taste it en primeur because of Covid 19 restrictions.

50% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot. This wine was certainly worth the wait! An awesome thrill from start to end. In the beginning, this wine was a paradise of aromas and fragrances. On the nose, it overwhelmed you with cascades of freshly cut black cherries and blackcurrants, and on the palate, it offered a flamboyant attitude, seamless structure, cashmere-clad texture, vibrancy, sophisticated touch, and fantastic complexity. After half an hour in the glass, this wine became typical of the Pessac-Leognan district with shell-fish scent, saltiness, and smokiness, without losing one ounce of energy, vitality, and fruit. A truly epic wine.

For ABV watchers - 13.65% in 2020 and 13.5% in 2022!

[DavidG]

Sounds good. Happy to have a few of these cab franc-centric beauties in the cellar. The CT hive says hold until 2031. Sounds like it hasn't really shut down yet. Will it?