Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion — Attraction in Bordeaux

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...

A misunderstanding not involving Les Carmes resulted in our going to the wrong winery (similar name) for our tour last Friday. We had a bad experience and left. Meanwhile, Silvie from Les Carmes left messages wondering where we were, and I replied harshly. She called again later, and once everyone realized the error she was very gracious and allowed us to reschedule for today. We just finished a delightful personal tour of the vineyards, cellar, and facility, and a wine tasting, which we very much enjoyed. Many (most?) places would have just blown us off given the tone of my messages, but she was enough concerned about what had happened to pursue the matter, and I’m so appreciative that she did. I recommend people doing business with Les Carmes not just because the tour and tasting were worthwhile, but also because of their spectacular...

Chateau Les Carmes Haut Brion is the easiest Bordeaux winery to reach from the city on Tram A and a short walk. Reservations for group or individual tours are required. We found the tour and wine tasting by far the best of our three week stay in Bordeaux. The guide was professional, knowledgeable and friendly with excellent English language skills. The wine is world class. The grounds are beautiful and the ultra modern cellars and wine making facilities incredible. In addition to touring the Medoc and St Emilion, any trip to Bordeaux should include a visit to Les...