Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2024 en Primeur

This is always an idiosyncratic wine. This year it’s stunning, with a unique floral aspect and excellent depth of pure blue fruit, mulberries, dried herbs and white pepper. So juicy and mouthwatering on the palate, with a medium to full body and fine tannins. There is a crystalized mouthfeel, but the tannins are fresh and well knit. This is already delicious, which indicates its superb balance. 48% cabernet franc, 29% cabernet sauvignon and 23% merlot. (Zekun Shuai)

Initially very closed on the nose, then opens up to blueberry, heart cherry and black pepper. The palate structure begins smoothly, then unfolds a very homogeneous, fine tannin pressure, apart from a quite present acidity, the wine shows only slight signs of the vintage type. The fruit lingers with great purity and length, and the minerality is also very present. (Tasted by Dr Ulrich Sautter)

One of the most impressive wines of the vintage, the 2024 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a striking effort that sets itself apart with seamless integration, even at this early stage, and a strong sense of identity. Poised, precise and unmistakably singular, it opens in the glass with a perfumed bouquet of iris, violet, dark berries, cherries, vine smoke and gentian. Medium to full-bodied, supple and notably fleshy for the vintage, it’s layered and textural, with a sappy, enveloping core of pure, vibrant fruit framed by finely grained, velvety tannins, culminating in a long, precise and gently stemmy finish. This is one of the rare wines of the vintage where sappiness is expressed with such finesse and charm, thanks in no small part to meticulous vineyard work and severe sorting in the winery. The blend is composed of 48% Cabernet Franc, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot, and it's maturing in a combination of 70% new oak, 19% foudres and 11% amphorae. (Yohan Castaing)

Vivid purple colour in the glass, deep tones. Extremely fragrant and expressive but so fine, really delicately delivered in terms of the actual aromas rose, iris, blackcurrant, black cherry, blackcurrant leaf, tobacco. Super precise and focussed, detailed and really in high definition with just-ripe strawberries, quite high tart acidity and a wet stone grip on the finish. Straight and streamlined. Crunchy and sapid, this has nice energy but has some bitter restriction - blood orange, cinnamon, black pepper, graphite. It’s a little tight but there’s precision for sure. Not released En Primeur but when in bottle - after one year ageing in barrel, one year in foudre and one year in concrete vats. More whole bunch than usual because in Martillac there was no problem with coulure and mildrandage as it’s later flowering. 3.55pH. 0.6% chaptalisation. (Georgina Hindle)