Paging Mr. Alfert: 2016 Les Carmes Haut Brion

Just looking at the just-released review by Galloni. Ignoring the 98 score for a moment, let’s focus on the tasting note:

“Red cherry jam, wild flowers, mint, blood orange and sage are some of many notes that develop. In the glass, the 2016 is a vivid, statuesque, exotic wine that takes over all the senses as it delivers tons of pure pleasure.”

“Jam”? “Vivid”? “Statuesque”? “Exotic”? “Pure pleasure”? Sorry, dude: they ruined it for you.

Said with affection. [cheers.gif]

Jesus…Alfert has everyone putting blood orange in their tasting notes. neener

Haha! I’m committed to hate it before I even try it. I just bought some to shut Leve up!

Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?

You may like Neal Martin’s tasting note better. Nothing statuesque or exotic about it. But he did mention “prominent new oak,” albeit it was “sutured” into the “fabric of the fruit.”

This wine, have not had the 2016, is great with the new winemaker, whole cluster fermentations and the heavy dose of Cabernet Franc. 14 was great, so was 15, will try to find 16 once score frenzy recedes and pricing is normal.

I think you would be better off trying to find a retailer that secured their allocation off the 2016 opening price as wholesale pricing has effectively doubled since and with a 40,000 btl production, I don’t really envision that happening but who really knows.

Shall I throw my amateur hat into the ring? Tasted pretty late in the UGC tasting on Tuesday, “exotic” is not a descriptor that came to mind:

"2016 Chateau Les Carmes-Haut Brion

Pretty. That’s the word for this bouquet. Real leather component with black raspberry and black plum. Compelling. What a nice change of pace—very fresh indeed with tannins and acid well integrated. Cranberry and redcurrant, lots of interest and a chance to grow into something very good (although the price, at C$375 a bottle is a bit crazy now)."



I still have a last bottle of my first futures buy, a 1998. I think I paid C$42 for that.

2016 Carmes HB is 375 Canadian $?

Yup. (gulp)

I think the point of his question is that CAD 375 is a lot higher than in the US (range $125-200). I hadn’t realize, though, that the CAD had depreciated so much against the USD; I thought it was slightly under par.

That note had me in stitches.

My lips are sealed.

Sutured, stapled, or glued?

I tried it as my first wine of the day at UGC San Francisco on Friday. Is it an Alf wine? Probably not directly in his wheelhouse, but it was pretty tasty:

https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2664500#p2664500

Our peso isn’t that close to par anymore–more like .75 U.S.—but it’s also a comment on how pricey the Carmes is in this vintage—a direct reaction to the high scores it’s received, I believe.