Chateau La Tour Carnet 2020

Bordeaux Red Blends from Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France

94 James
Suckling
94 Wine
Enthusiast
91 Decanter
91 Robert
Parker
91 Jeb
Dunnuck

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Chateau La Tour Carnet 2020 Front Bottle Shot

Product Details

Varietal

Bordeaux Red Blends

Region

Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France

Producer

Chateau La Tour Carnet

Vintage

2020

Size

750ML

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Chateau La Tour Carnet 2020 is a very deep, with a brilliant ruby red color. The first nose is very fruity with notes of ripe fruit, in particular blackcurrant and blackberry. This perception becomes more complex when stirred with vanilla notes that underline the fruity perception. On the palate, we quickly notice the silky and the finesse of the tannins which give a very elegant density and good balance. The evolution is powerful but controlled until the long and smooth finish.

Professional Ratings

94 James Suckling
Tight and linear with blackcurrant and lemon rind character. Medium-bodied and racy with very fine tannins and a bright finish. Shows energy and focus. Drinkable, but better in three or four years.
94 Wine Enthusiast
This magnificent medieval castle controls a vineyard that is just inland from Saint-Julien. With its ripe perfumes and rich tannins, the wine has a powerful potential set against the tightly juicy black currant fruits.
Barrel Sample: 92-94
91 Decanter
They have done a good job of carefully working the extraction so that the tannins are abundant but not bitter, and the fruit is savory, with layers of redcurrant and raspberry alongside some hawthorn character. Expertly handled, lovely appealing aromatics, but things finish a little abruptly.
Barrel Sample: 91
91 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aromas of raspberries, crème de cassis, cigar wrapper and loamy soil introduce the 2020 La Tour Carnet, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and polished wine that's more harmonious and better balanced than Magrez's Grands Chênes. This large estate has eaten up many of the Haut-Médoc's non-classified growths over the past decade to arrive at a surface area of over 130 hectares today. Best after 2023.
91 Jeb Dunnuck
Almost always a winner, the 2020 Chateau La Tour Carnet offers a terrific, medium-bodied, concentrated style as well as classic notes of ripe currants, darker cherries, spicy wood, and graphite. It has the vintage's more focused, classic, structured style, with ripe tannins and outstanding length. It's well worth seeking out and is going to evolve for at least a decade. Best After 2023.

Other Vintages

2022

93 James
Suckling
92 Decanter

2021

92 Wine
Spectator
91 Decanter
91 Robert
Parker
91 James
Suckling

2019

94 James
Suckling
92 Robert
Parker
92 Jeb
Dunnuck
91 Wine
Spectator

2016

94 Wine
Enthusiast
93 Decanter
93 James
Suckling
91 Robert
Parker
90 Wine
Spectator
90 Jeb
Dunnuck

2015

93 James
Suckling
90 Decanter
90 Robert
Parker

2014

93 Wine
Enthusiast
93 James
Suckling
91 Robert
Parker
91 Tasting
Panel
90 Wine
Spectator

2011

90 Wine
Spectator
90 Robert
Parker

2010

93 Robert
Parker
92 Wine
Enthusiast
92 James
Suckling

2009

92 Robert
Parker
92 Wine
Enthusiast
90 James
Suckling

2008

91 Robert
Parker

2006

91 Robert
Parker
90 Connoisseurs'
Guide
90 Wine
Spectator

2005

94 Wine
Enthusiast
90 Wine
Spectator
90 Robert
Parker
90 Connoisseurs'
Guide

2004

91 Wine
Enthusiast
90 Robert
Parker

2003

90 Robert
Parker

Chateau La Tour Carnet

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The origins of La Tour Carnet lie in the Middle Ages, although the exact details are lost in the mists of time. Initially named Chateau de Saint-Laurent, some parts of the building, specifically the round tower, date from the 11th Century. The fortress was inhabited as early as the 12th Century, by the English, and it constituted a valuable military asset when Bordeaux was under English rule. The seigneurie of St-Laurent at this time was held by the Foix family, who were closely allied to the English king. Nevertheless, the land eventually fell to French rule once again, to which the then incumbent Comte Jean de Foix refused to submit, a decision that would eventually cost him his life. He was defeated by le beau Dunois, a compatriot of Jeanne d'Arc, and the impressive castle was partly destroyed. Following these events the ruined property passed through the hands of a succession of owners, before coming to Thibault de Carmaing in the 16th Century and eventually to Charles de Leutken, a man of Swedish origin, two hundred years after that. It remained with his descendents, and at the time of the 1855 classification was under the direction of Angélique Raymond, the wife of Jean-Jacques Leutken, who extolled a vineyard which covered 52 hectares. The current owner is Bernard Magrez, who is the proprietor of a number of other Bordeaux estates, most notably Pape Clément in Pessac-Léognan and Fombrauge in Saint Émilion.

Bordeaux Blends

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One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.

Haut Medoc Wine

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While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.

These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.

Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.

FCA746234_2020 Item# 746234