2017 Chateau Haut Brion 1er Grand Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan

Decanter.com -94pts - JA: *This is rather gorgeous, with a real sense of climbing through the palate, expanding outwards and upwards as it goes, with high aromatics of peony and iris alongside touches of tight, cocoa-dusted black fruits and a sense of restrained power. A saline touch gives a mouthwatering finish. It opens up with time in the glass and is hugely persistent. There is austerity, as you would expect with such high Cabernet levels, but the energy and flexibility to the tannins bodes extremely well for ageing. Budbreak happened on 12 March at Carmes Haut-Brion in 2017, highlighting just what an early vintage this was. When the frost arrived, it affected almost all of their second site out in Martillac, where they produce Le C de Carmes, while the vines around the main estate in Bordeaux were not impacted. The result is a wine that has clearly reached a good level of ripeness and is succulent in the mouth. They used 48% whole-bunch fermentation here, pretty much the same amount as last year - another clue to the ripeness of the stalks. 80% new oak (more than the last two years), with 30% of malolactic in barrels and the rest aged in 10% large Stockinger cask and 10% in amphora. This is a very good and will age well. Harvested 4-9 September (second wine not harvested until 19 September). 3.59pH * -04/2018

Falstaff Magazin - 94pts - PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung und Kräuterwürze, dunkle Beerenfrucht, reife Kirschen, Nougat, Kardamom, Orangenzesten, facettenreiches Bukett. Gute Komplexität, schwarze Kirschen, straffe Textur, etwas Nougat, integrierte, tragende Tannine, schokoladiger Touch im Abgang, verfügt über einiges Zukunftspotenzial.* -05/2017

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 91-93+pts - LPB: *Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a little reticent to begin, opening up to fragrant notes of potpourri and oolong tea over a core of crushed red and black currants plus hints of violets, dark chocolate and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, it has an ambitious palate with firm, grainy tannins slightly masking the elegant fruit, finishing with good length though just a tad chewy. * -04/2018

Vinum Magazin – 18,5/20pts: *Superber, geradezu majestätischer Wein, für die lange Reife gebaut, fleischig, kernig, lang, Tannine von superbem Schliff, verblüffend klassisch und mindestens auf der Höhe der so genannt grossen Jahre!* - 09/2020

WeinWisser – 19/20pts - WL: *53 % Merlot, 40,7 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 6,3 % Cabernet Franc. Dichtes Granatrubin mit violettem Rand. Komplexes, tiefes Bouquet mit Anklängen an Leder, roten Johannisbeeren und Himbeeren. Im zweiten Ansatz verführerische Nuancen von Veilchen, Darjeeling und Mokka. Am Gaumen ein Traum aus seidiger Textur und perfekt stützenden Tanninen, feinspröder Extrakt, trotzdem fesselnd und ergreifend. Im langen Finale eine Symphonie aus Wildkirschen, Palisandernoten und Graphit. Ein ganz grosser, klassischer Haut-Brion, dem der Jahrgang sprichwörtlich in die Hände spielt und diesmal ganz knapp hinter Les Carmes Haut-Brion auf Platz 2 in Pessac kommt. Tendenz steigend, da ist noch mehr Musik drin. 19+/20.* – 05/2018

Wine Spectator - 89-92pts - JM: *Fresh cherry compote flavors and a light cassis thread work together, picking up light savory and iron notes. Shows charming energy, with twinges of spice and tobacco through the finish. Pure, but a bit shy on stuffing in the end. * -04/2018

JancisRobinson.com - 17,5/20pts - TP: *Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Blueberry fruit and fine, sweet spice with a little charred wood. Full bodied, with an earthy, smoky fruit core. This is plush, exotic and full of spice. Richly structured with mouth-coating, chewy tannins. Powerful.* -09/2021

quarin.com - 18,5/20pts - JMQ: *Couleur sombre, intense et belle. Nez intense, fin, au fruité mûr et profond. L'aération laisse s'exprimer un fond plus floral. Ravissant en entrée de bouche, suave au développement, extrêmement fruité et surtout très frais, le vin glisse au palais, riche et tout en douceur. Il s'étaye en finale en gagnant du goût et de la trame. Une merveille ! Et l'outsider n° 1 cette année.* -04/2018

JamesSuckling.com - 94-95pts - JS: *A tight and linear red with a firm and intense, pretty center palate of blackberry and wet-earth character. Full-bodied, reserved and focused. Really compacted. * -04/2018

Vinous.com - 93-96pts - AG: *The 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is subtle and understated, but it’s all there. Lifted aromatics, bright, red-toned fruit and silky tannins add to the wine's brilliant, chiseled personality. I find the 2017 more precise and nuanced than in the recent past, with less overt power. It's hard to know exactly if the style of the 2017 is a result of the growing conditions of the year, or the result of an evolution in winemaking that includes the introduction of terra cotta, among other things. I certainly get the sense Guillaume Pouthier reined the wine back a bit in 2017. No matter. The end result is all that counts, and in 2017 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is positively stellar. As always, the high percentage of Cabernet Franc and a healthy dollop of whole clusters give Les Carmes an explosive bouquet and plenty of saline-infused energy. A closing flourish of sweet red berry fruit, mint, rose petal and mocha leaves a lasting impression. The 2017 is not an obvious wine, but it sure is gorgeous. Don't miss it! Tasted two times.* -04/2018

Vinous.com – 95 pts - NM: *The 2017 Haut-Brion was bottled 10-18 June. It impressed from barrel and it continues to do so now incarcerated in glass. It has an irresistible bouquet with ebullient red berry fruit, sous-bois, graphite and oyster shell, perhaps one of the most Burgundy-like aromatics that I can recall in this First Growth. The palate is beautifully balanced with very fine tannins. There remains a little new oak to be fully assimilated, yet winemaker Jean-Philippe Delmas has managed to retain the symmetry that I observed from barrel a few months ago. Whilst not amongst the top tier Haut-Brion wines, it is a delicious and classy wine that will give three decades of drinking pleasure.* 02/2020

The Wine Cellar Insider - 94-96pts - JL: *The wine is as dark in fruit as it is in color. This is a nap on Pratesi sheets – a silky, sensuous and richly textured rendezvous. Vibrancy on the palate, creamy tannins and layers of fruit-enhanced strata propel a surfeit of multi-colored fruit. Not quite at the level of the stunning 2016 but very close. The wine was made using 50% whole bunches during fermentation. From a blend of 41% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine reached 13.25% with a pH of 3.59 * -04/2018