An emblematic name of the Pessac-Léognan appellation and the only vineyard located within the city of Bordeaux, Château Les Carmes-Haut-Brion has been writing its story for over four centuries.
In 1584, Jean de Pontac, owner of Château Haut-Brion, donated a parcel of vines to the monks of the Order of the Carmelites, who produced a wine of great quality. Its original name, "Haut-Brion", gradually evolved over time into "Carmes Haut-Brion".
Sold as a national asset during the French Revolution, the estate was acquired in the early 19th century by Léon Colin, a Bordeaux wine merchant, who had the current château built and laid out a 3-hectare park.
In 2010, Patrice Pichet, head of the eponymous Gironde-based real estate group, acquired Château Les Carmes-Haut-Brion with the ambition of turning the property into a singular signature of the appellation.
Redesign of the vineyard, modernisation of the winemaking methods and infrastructure, plot-by-plot selection to favour optimal grape concentration… all these innovations have been carried out under the technical direction of oenologist Guillaume Pouthier, assisted by two consultants, Stéphane Derenoncourt and his partner Simon Blanchard.
Covering 7.60 hectares dedicated to the production of the Grand Vin, the vineyard of Château Les Carmes-Haut-Brion owes its uniqueness to a soil composed of clay, sand and Mindel gravel, as well as to a grape variety proportion unique on the Left Bank, made up of Cabernet Franc (42%), Merlot (41%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (18%).
Hand-harvested, the grapes are brought into an ultra-modern cellar inaugurated in 2016, where they are gravity-fed into wooden, stainless steel or concrete vats, un-destemmed, then vinified "by infusion" according to the atypical process introduced in Bordeaux as early as 2012 by Guillaume Pouthier. No punching down or pumping over is performed, thus favouring a steady and gradual concentration of the wine in both colour and tannins. Blends are carried out in batches, in order to achieve the perfect alchemy that gives each vintage of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion its timeless style and refined signature, sought after and acclaimed by critics.
Balanced, generous, powerful, with rare finesse and elegance — such are the words that define the exceptional wines of Château Les Carmes-Haut-Brion, with their singular brilliance and expression.
