France · Bordeaux

Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a tiny Pessac-Léognan estate of 11.5 hectares located literally adjacent to Haut-Brion, producing a Merlot-dominant blend unusual for the appellation. The estate has a documented history back to the Carmelite friars who founded it in the 17th century and was acquired in 2010 by Guillaume Picart, who invested heavily in a new dramatic gravity-flow winery by Philippe Starck. The wine underwent a significant quality leap post-2012 under consultant Guillame Pouthier and has attracted increasing auction interest. At auction: 344 lots at $122 average with the 2016 vintage most-traded, and prices reaching $800. The 2016 is a reference vintage for the property—widely considered the best release under Picart ownership and a year when Pessac-Léognan reached its highest quality level in the modern era. The Merlot-dominant composition (up to 60%), unusual in the Left Bank, gives the wine a silky richness more reminiscent of Saint-Émilion than Graves.