Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion 2022 is a prestigious red wine from the Pessac-Léognan appellation in Bordeaux's Left Bank, considered a strong candidate for wine of the vintage. This exceptional vintage is crafted from a unique blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 26% Merlot, co-fermented using 70% whole bunch vinification—the highest percentage ever used at the estate.

The wine entices with its intense aromatic complexity, revealing notes of violet, iris, blackberries, cherries, pencil lead, rose petals, and exotic spices. On the palate, it delivers medium to full body with deep concentration, velvety and precise tannins, vibrant red fruits including strawberry, cherry, and raspberry, alongside a mineral backbone of saline and wet stones. The finish is long, saline, and perfumed, showcasing remarkable freshness and tension despite the warm vintage.

Winemaker Guillaume Pouthier's innovative approach using whole bunch fermentation helps maintain elegance, keeping alcohol at a modest 13.5% with a healthy pH of 3.64. The wine is aged in 70% new oak barrels, 20% 18-hectoliter casks, and 10% amphoras. The vineyard consists of 7.60 hectares planted on Mindel gravel over a clay-limestone base, with vines averaging 40 years old. This unconventional winemaking style draws comparisons to northern Rhône wines while maintaining classic Bordeaux structure, resulting in a wine designed to drink beautifully in youth while possessing the structure to age gracefully for decades. Critical acclaim includes perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Decanter, and Antonio Galloni's Vinous, cementing its status as one of Bordeaux's most exciting and singular expressions.