2020, Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion, PESSAC-LÉOGNAN, Rouge, Grand Vin de Graves

Bordeaux Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot.

The 2020 Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion needed 10-15 minutes in the glass before it gained clarity, eventually delivering ripe black fruit and hints of dark chocolate and liquorice, quite heady and ebullient. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, saturated tannins that frame the dark chocolate and allspice-infused black fruit. There's plenty of flesh toward the finish, although this year I find quite a different between this and the Grand Vin. 89-91 Neal Martin, Vinous (2021).

Bottled after 24 months' élevage, much of which took place in large foudres, the 2020 Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion offers up aromas of dark berries, plums and spices complemented by hints of rose petal and liquorice. Medium to full-bodied, supple and pillowy, with an ample core of fruit framed by melting tannins, it's a suave and charming blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. 94 William Kelley, Wine Advocate.

Sporting a medium to deep garnet-purple colour, the 2020 Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion rolls out of the glass with notions of tar, sautéed herbs and fertile loam over a core of plum preserves and blackcurrant pastilles, plus hints of kirsch and lavender. The medium-bodied palate has a lot of character and energy, offering a frame of grainy tannins and exciting tension, finishing long and with lots of red berry layers. 92-94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate.

Drinking Window: 2024 - 2038