Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion

The history of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion dates back to 1584, when Jean de Pontac, the owner of Haut-Brion, donated a water mill and surrounding land to the Carmelite Order. The monks managed the estate for over two centuries, cultivating vines until the property was seized during the French Revolution. In 1840, the estate was purchased at auction by Leon Colin. His descendants, the Chantecaille family, owned and managed the property for 170 years before selling it to Patrice Pichet of the Pichet Group in 2010. Following the acquisition, the new owners initiated a complete modernization of the facilities and expanded the vineyard holdings.

The estate is the only winery located entirely within the city limits of Bordeaux, situated in a residential area near the Peugue stream. This urban location creates a specific microclimate that offers protection against frost while increasing average temperatures compared to more rural sites. The vineyard consists of approximately 10 hectares of vines used for the primary label, planted on Mindel gravel, clay, and sand. Unlike its neighbors in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, the estate features an atypical grape composition with Cabernet Franc making up about 40 percent of the vines, alongside Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Director and winemaker Guillaume Pouthier oversees a technical approach that includes significant whole-cluster fermentation and aging in a combination of new oak barrels, large wooden vats, and clay amphorae.

The producer is primarily recognized for its flagship red wine, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, and its second label, Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion. Although the estate was not included in the 1855 classification or the 1953 Graves classification, it has achieved a high level of critical and commercial success in recent decades. The property is also known for its contemporary winery building, designed by Philippe Starck and Luc Arsène-Henry and completed in 2016. This structure, which resembles a metal blade or a ship's hull emerging from the water, allows for gravity-fed processing and precise temperature control. These modern techniques, combined with the site's historical terroir, have established the estate as a notable example of stylistic evolution in Bordeaux.