Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

estate located in the AOC Pessac-Léognan within the region of Graves. In addition to producing a red ''grand vin'' named Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, the estate produces the red

second wine Second wine or second label (French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...

Le Clos des Carmes.

History

The property shares its origins with châteaux Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Laville Haut-Brion and La Tour Haut-Brion, in once being part of the Haut-Brion estate that belonged to Jean de Pontac. Reportedly at age 101, De Pontac donated land holding a water mill and

vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

to the

Carmelite order The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

, who tended the property from 1584 until the French Revolution.Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.co
Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion
/ref> During this period the estate took the name Les Carmes Haut-Brion. After the Revolution, it was confiscated and sold at auction to Léon Colin, whose descendant lineage maintained ownership of the estate into the 21st century with the Chantecaille-Furt family. In November 2010, Didier Chantecaille-Furt and his daughter Penelope sold Les Carmes Haut-Brion to real estate executive Patrice Pichet for

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

18m, reported to be a "record price".Anson, Jane, ''Decanter.com'' (January 13, 2011)
Chateau Carmes Haut-Brion sold for record sum
/ref>Anson, Jane, newbordeaux.blog.co.uk (January 14, 2011)
New owners at Carmes Haut-Brion
Mustacich, Suzanne, ''Wine Spectator'' (January 19, 2011)
French Real-Estate Titan Buys Haut-Brion’s Neighbor
/ref> The estate employs Stéphane Derenoncourt as consultant

oenologist Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

. Thierry Rustmann, former co-owner of

Château Talbot Château Talbot is a winery in the Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, Saint-Julien Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Talbot is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. It was classifi ...

, took over the running of the estate following the sale.

Production

The estate has under

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

, with a grape variety distribution of 50%

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

, 40%

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

and 10%

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

. The annual production of the red ''grand vin'' Chateau Les Carmes Haut-Brion is approximately , and of the second wine Le Clos des Carmes there is a production of .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmes Haut-Brion, Chateau Les Bordeaux wine producers