98+Point by James Suckling & Jeb Dunnuck.
What a great nose with such complexity of blackberry, forest floor, mushroom and bark. Like walking in a deep forest. Full-bodied with a dense palate, yet it remains energetic and focused. Very fine texture. Flavorful finish. Extremely persistent.
Blend: 42% Cabernet Franc, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot.
 
History of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion:
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a Bordeaux estate that was once part of the famed First Growth Château Haut-Brion. Situated in Pessac-Léognan, in the southwestern outskirts of Bordeaux town and on the "left bank" of the Garonne river, the vineyards and wines are Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominant with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon – an uncommon ratio for the commune. Planted almost evenly to Cabernet Franc and Merlot (39 and 41 percent, respectively), it has arguably the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc in any Pessac-Léognan vineyard. Soil types here are gravel dating from the Mindel glaciation on a clay-limestone bedrock.
Shortly before he shuffled off his mortal coil, at the age of 101, Jean de Pontac, Lord of the Manor of Haut-Brion, considered he had to earn his seat in heaven.
In 1584, he therefore donated a water-mill, surrounded by meadows and wines, to the Carmelites of Haut-Brion. The Friars kept the name "Haut-Brion" for 200 years, before common usage gradually changed it into "Carmes Haut-Brion". It was bought at the beginning of the last century by Léon Colin, a wine negociant in Bordeaux and a direct ancestor of the current owners, the Chantecaille-Furt family.