5/5 Steve C. 2 years ago on Google
Château
les
Carmes
Haut-Brion
(
the
only
Bordeaux
chateau
to
be
actually
in
Bordeaux,
at
the
unique
address
of
20,
Rue
des
Carmes
with
a
walled
vineyard
in
urban
surroundings
of
Bordeaux
)
is
a
Bordeaux
wine
estate
located
in
the
AOC
Pessac-Léognan
within
the
region
of
Graves
with
the
appellation
of
Pessac
Léognan
and
produces
the
red
grand
vin
named
Château
les
Carmes
Haut-Brion
and
the
estate
red
second
wine
Le
C
des
Carmes.
Main
Varietals
are
:
cabernet
franc,
cabernet
sauvignon,
merlot,
petit
verdot
.
The
history
started
in
1584
when
Jean
de
Pontac
Lord
of
Haut-Brion
donated
a
windmill
and
vines
on
the
banks
of
the
Peugue
river
in
Bordeaux
.
In
1630,
The
Grand
Carmelite
Order
expanded
the
estate
by
purchasing
vines
and
land
located
in
the
“
aubrion
“
area
and
owned
the
estate
for
two
hundred
years
as
well
as
retained
the
‘Haut-Brion’
name,
which
gradually
became
‘Carmes
Haut-Brion’.
In
1840,
the
wine
merchant
Léon
Colin
purchased
it
and
renamed
it
Chateau
Carmes-Haut-Brion.
Patrice
Pichet,
the
head
of
France's
family-run
real
estate
group,
acquired
the
estate
at
the
end
of
2010
and
turned
this
unique
ten-hectare
estate
into
a
genuine
jewel
set
in
the
city
of
Bordeaux
with
the
help
of
Guillaume
Pouthier,
the
director
of
operations,
and
Stéphane
Derenoncourt
,
the
estate's
consultant
.
It’s
current
size
of
35
hectares
with
unique
and
ambitious
new
facilities
created
to
support
this
winery
and
reception
areas
designed
and
created
by
Philippe
Starck
and
Luc
Arsène-Henry
were
inaugurated
in
2016
.
The
terroir
of
the
main
vineyard
,
a
mixture
of
Mindel
gravel,
sand,
and
clay
over
a
limestone
subsoil,
forms
a
unique
geological
spectrum
that
has
informed
the
unusual
mix
of
grape
varieties,
consisting
of
40%
Cabernet
Franc,
18%
Cabernet
Sauvignon
and
the
remainder
Merlot.
The
vines
(
average
of
42
years
old
)
are
planted
with
a
density
of
10,000
per
hectare.
The
estate's
other
signature
wine,
Le
C
des
Carmes
Haut-Brion
,
is
produced
from
the
complementary
plots
(
purchased
since
2011
)
in
the
villages
of
Martillac,
Cadaujac
and
Saint
Médard
D’Eyrans
with
a
terroir
consisting
of
Gunz
gravel,
sand
and
clay
.
All
together
bringing
the
total
area
of
the
estate
today
to
35
hectares
with
their
own
modern
production
facility
in
the
village
of
Martillac.
The
vineyards
are
planted
with
62%
Cabernet
Sauvignon,
35%
Merlot
and
3%
Petit
Verdot
and
are
now
14
years
old
on
average.
The
winemaking
has
(
using
whole
grapes
and
a
small
portion
of
the
stems
)
been
carried
out
in
vats
of
21
to
86
hectolitres
in
size.
The
top
wine,
Château
les
Carmes
Haut-Brion
,
is
matured
in
oak
barrels
with
75%
new
oak
and
the
rest
in
large
casks
and
terracotta
amphoras
for
a
period
of
18
to
24
months.
Le
C
des
Carmes
Haut-Brion
is
matured
in
30%
new
oak
barrels
for
12
to
18
months,
and
then
in
cement
vats.
This
is
a
good
and
modern
chateau
that
every
wine
lover
traveling
in
Bordeaux
should
visit
.
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