Vin Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion

Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion is a Bordeaux property that was once part of the famous Château Haut-Brion. Located in Pessac-Léognan, on the southwestern edge of Bordeaux and on the left bank of the Garonne River, the vineyards and wines were dominated by Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon – an unusual proportion for the commune. Located in the heart of the oldest part of Bordeaux, it is the only château located within the city limits of Bordeaux and therefore one of the last urban vineyards in the region.

In the 16th century, Jean de Pontac owned the Haut-Brion property. The lands included the estates of the castles of Pessac-Léognan Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion, Laville Haut-Brion, La Tour Haut-Brion and Les Carmes Haut-Brion. The Les Carmes estate was created when Pontac donated a mill and its surrounding property to a mission of the Carmelite Order in 1584. The Carmelites owned and cared for the property for two centuries, giving the château's name, Les Carmes.

After the French Revolution, the estate was run by the Chantecaille-Furt family for generations.

In 2010, Les Carmes was bought by Groupe Pichet, a real estate company in Bordeaux, for around US$25 million – a record price for the region at the time, over US$5 million per hectare. The new owners have significantly expanded the estate, from 4.7 to 29.6 hectares, most of which is planted with Cabernet Franc and Merlot vines (39 and 41 percent respectively), thus probably having the largest proportion of Cabernet Franc from any Pessac-Léognan vineyard.

Experts Stéphane Derenoncourt (consultant winemaker) and Guillaume Pouthier (director of Château Les Carmes) form a complementary duo, working together with the same passion dedicated to improving the vineyard and giving uniqueness to the Les Carmes estate.