CHÂTEAU LA TOUR CARNET | Grand Cru Classé | Haut-Médoc | 2012
merlot | cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot | cabernet franc
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The wine we are going to review tonight is very special, as it is listed in the famous Grand Cru Classé classification of 1855 – Château La Tour Carnet Haut-Médoc 2012 by Bernard Magrez. Located in Bordeaux – the most famous wine region of France – Château La Tour Carnet is named after the medieval squire who helped his lord resist the french monarchy at the end of the Hundred Years War. La Tour Carnet is a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and cabernet franc, aged for 16 months in french oak barrels and followed by a long maturation period in the bottle. The constant search for perfection makes this wine a real classic, considered by many connoisseurs as one of the blueprints Bordeaux blends. But enough theory, without further ado – on to the tasting!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:
Visual
Noble ruby color with pale but elegant copper shades towards the rim of the glass.
Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with red fruits and savory flavours: leather, overripe sour cherry, horse saddle, ripe redcurrant, cranberry, blackberry, black plum, ripe red mulberry, boysenberry, rooibos tea, cherry tree wood and sweet tobacco. An instant later the nose is filled with very elegant notes of red pepper, nutmeg, anise, lightly roasted oakwood, vanilla and some nuanced hints of cinnamon.
Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and fine tannin. It feels velvety, noble and elegant, with a quite extracted body and a nuanced fruity yet savory accent. This is a very complex, a bit flamboyant and extremely appealing wine blend, as it tastes seedy, ripe and refined, with a fine-tannic grip on the mouthfeel. The wine has a good overall balance as it feels just a bit tart, yet fruity and leathery, with subtle oaky notes.
Aftertaste
It has a long finish and a velvety, seedy and tart aftertaste.
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This is definitely a great Wine of France and the overall rating says the same, with 92.4 points scored it is right there, among the best wines we’ve tasted so far. Please click on the chart icon on the left in order to get to the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines we’ve tasted to date.
Conclusion: this is a classic Bordeaux blend from the “left bank” – elegant, noble and velvety, yet a wine that has not yet reached its prime form, therefore a couple more years of bottle ageing are highly recommended. Despite all its finesse, the wine feels extracted and flamboyant, still, it has a very fine and ripe tannic grip on the mouthfeel, which leads to a full-bodied mid-palate, firming beautifully on the finish, where the nuanced savory flavors glide alongside those subtle spicy-oaky flavours and gain more traction. This wine is surprisingly versatile and can pair well with a wide range of cuisine. Our recommendation is to pair it with creamy meaty dishes that are rich in smooth textures, like for example a fillet mignon steak with foie gras and parsley purée. Santé!
WineStatistics tasting results:
CHÂTEAU LA TOUR CARNET
Grand Cru Classé en 1855 | Haut-Médoc | 2012
grape: | merlot | cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot | cabernet franc |
region: France | Haut-Médoc
overall rating: | 92.4 |
maturity: on the rise
conclusion: excellent | (a must try)
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(c) The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. There are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.
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WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a one-time donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a monthly donation so that we can review even more wines.
WineStatistics is a non-profit community. We produce independent and highly detailed wine reviews.
By training ourselves to stop, take a breath, and pay attention to the subtle elements that distinguish one wine from any other, we learn an important lesson about life – that it’s worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate things that pleases us, from a glass of wine to a great work of art. It’s a simple way to learn to appreciate the little things in life that may in some small way enhance our enjoyment of every day.
In order to continue our work we need support from people like you. People who appreciate our contribution in spreading wine knowledge and raising wine awareness across the borders.
You may now support us by contributing with a yearly donation so that we can review even more wines.
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