This is always an idiosyncratic wine. This year it’s stunning, with a unique floral aspect and excellent depth of pure blue fruit, mulberries, dried herbs and white pepper. So juicy and mouthwatering on the palate, with a medium to full body and fine tannins. There is a crystalized mouthfeel, but the tannins are fresh and well knit. This is already delicious, which indicates its superb balance. 48% cabernet franc, 29% cabernet sauvignon and 23% merlot. - James Suckling

In 2024, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion made a bold call – cutting yields from an already restrained 40 hl/ha down to just 24 hl/ha. This costly, near-obsessive approach to vineyard management gives Carmes its distinctive “Daoist naturalism.” And then – sandalwood! That deep, meditative aroma, as if wafting from the innermost shelves of a temple library, unfurls the moment the wine swirls in the glass. A sweet-tart plum juice freshness follows, like spring water bubbling up at the season’s first thaw, flowing and alive. Tiny bursts of sour berry pop on the tongue, sending ripple after ripple across the palate. But the most astonishing part? Even in this sun-starved vintage, the estate held firm to using 52% whole bunch fermentation. (The relatively dry summer aided stem maturity.) And when those stems are ripe enough, a warm, aged Pu-erh tea note rises quietly through it all. Tasting it, I lost myself for a moment, drifting into a kind of meditative stillness. What a beautiful, beautiful wine. - Alexandre Ma

Seamless and silky in the glass, with superb balance, the 2024 Les Carmes Haut-Brion is one of the wines of the vintage. All the elements are so well balanced, always a sign of a superior vintage at this address. Floral notes, spice, leather and mocha run through a core of layered, beautifully persistent dark red fruit. Harvest took place between September 17 and 25, during one of the rare windows with little rain. As always, Les Carmes is done with a high percentage of stems (52%), specifically 100% for the Cabernet Franc, 50% for the Merlot and 20% for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging is 70% new oak barrels, 19% 18HL foudre and 11% amphora. New oak is already very nicely integrated, another sign of a superb vintage. The 2024 is a brilliant effort by the team led by Technical Director Olivier Pouthier. - Antonio Galloni

Deep garnet-purple colored. Slowly unfurls to reveal classic Franc notes of red currant jelly, fresh blackberries, and pencil shavings, followed by hints of rose oil, fragrant soil, and crushed rocks. The light to medium-bodied palate shimmers with electric red and black berry flavors, framed by firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. Nice! - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2024 Château Carmes Haut-Brion comes from 7.8 hectares of vines in the heart of Pessac and is 48% Cabernet Franc, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance 23% Merlot that was vinified with 52% whole clusters and will spend two years in 70% new barrels as well as smaller portions in vats and amphora. It's one of the darker-hued wines in the vintage and has a terrific nose of ripe black fruits, smoky earth, violets, crushed stone, and hints of lead pencil. It's medium to full-bodied, has ultra-fine tannins, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, and a great finish. I think it's clearly one of the top wines in the vintage. - Jeb Dunnuck