(WE92-94 points) Dusty tannins float in this impressive wine. It has dark layers of black fruits and acidity that cushion the dry, tannic character, with great freshness at the end.

I tasted the 2014 Château les Carmes Haut Brion (54% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon) last year at the estate, yet it showed even better this year and has gained both depth and richness...

Extremely perfumed with violets, lavender and hot stones as well as fruit and dark chocolate. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and silky and fresh. A lovely and bright wine now. Better in 2020.

The 2014 Les Carmes Haut-Brion includes 45% whole bunches with around half the crop vinified via infusion. Expressive on the nose, it offers red fruit, rose petals, cola and hints of black truffle, a little more mineralité than previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine depth, crisp and taut with grip and muscle on the finish. Yet it is streamlined and focused with ample sapidity, quite elegant after a few minutes in the glass. This is a satisfying wine for the vintage rather than an exceptional one. Tasted at the Les Carmes Haut-Brion vertical at the château.

The 2014 Les Carmes Haut Brion has a very ripe, fig-tinged bouquet with red cherries, orange sorbet and faint tarry scents. This has more bravado than many of its Pessac-Léognan peers. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin. It comes across as more modern in style than its peers, silky smooth with caressing succulent red cherry and blackberry fruit leading to a polished finish. It has very good body and density, though I find much more complexity on the 2015. I remarked that I wanted to see how well the oak integrates with this Les Carmes Haut-Brion and at this early stage, I wait to be totally convinced that all the constituent parts are singing from the same hymn sheet.

This has a fresh feel, with a juniper streak adding energy to the plum coulis, red currant and bramble notes. Flecks of bay, pepper and tobacco fill in on the finish, giving this good range. Not the densest of the pack, but well done. Best from 2018 through 2026. 25,000 cases made.