Wine Advisor
La Tour Carnet 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This dense purple wine displays notes of charcoal, subtle toast and white chocolate as well as blueberry and blackberry liqueur intermixed with hints of graphite and licorice. Dense, full-bodied, unctuously textured, and quite long and thick, this concentrated, impressively endowed wine is silky-textured and already accessible. However, I suspect its best days are at least 5-7 years ahead of it. It should keep for a minimum of two decades. One of the few classified growths in the southern end of the Medoc south of Margaux, La Tour Carnet has been owned for a number of years by Bernard Magrez. It is one of the most picturesque chateaux in Bordeaux, dating from the 12th century, with real towers and a Camelot-style moat surrounding it. A large estate, they have been making top-flight wines for well over a decade, yet the prices remain very realistic for a classified growth Bordeaux. The 2009, which boasts Michel Rolland as the consultant, was a final blend of 62% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest tiny dollops of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Cropped at 43hl/ha, a blend of 53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested between 29th September and 22nd October, this has a ripe, plum, blueberry and cassis scented nose with good definition, if just a little obvious at the moment. Very ripe and sensuous, more like a Right Bank bouquet. The palate is medium-bodied with good acidity, very fine tannins, a slight metallic edge on the entry, good density and focus here with great delineation towards the linear finish. Tightly wound, nicely controlled for the vintage. Tasted March 2010.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The finest wine made here since the 2005, the 2009 (a blend of 53% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) was harvested between September 29 and October 22. Its dense purple color is followed by abundant aromas of camphor, charcoal, barrique, blackberries, and creme de cassis. Dense, structured, and full-bodied with high, but sweet, well-integrated tannins, and tremendous precision as well as freshness, this 2009 should evolve for 20-25 years. (Tasted three times.)
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The La Tour Carnet 2009 is much more reserved on the nose with light, clean red berries and wild hedgerow, a little rustic but opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins. This is edgy, tense but harmonious with fine composure and very well integrated oak on the finish. Tasted January 2013.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2009 La Tour Carnet has an attractive blackberry, savory and peppermint scented bouquet that opens nicely with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with gritty tannin, quite masculine and sharp with a slightly bitter finish. I suspect this will improve with bottle age as it amidst a dumb phase. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A linear wine with very good fruit and plum characters. Full body with firm tannins and a mineral and fruit finish. Better in 2016.
About the Producer
The history of Château La Tour Carnet dates back to the 12th century. Indeed, this vast vineyard of 132 hectares is undoubtedly one of the oldest domains of the Medoc. Its architecture is purely medieval as evidenced by the tower, surrounded by moats, which was built in 1120. The domain takes its name from the valiant squire Carnet having fought alongside the lord Jean de Fait: his self-denial and his bravery were such that he received the property in inheritance. Subsequently, the estate belonged to illustrious owners, including the Montaigne family. Since the 2000s, Château La Tour Carnet has been taken over by Bernard Magrez, who has started a restoration and renovation program. Located in the heart of the Medoc, the property has a unique and exceptional terroir, called the “Butte de la Tour Carnet”. It is a visual curiosity but also geological since it is the only clay-limestone mound of the Medoc. The White of La Tour Carnet is one of the rare white wine produced in the Médoc. The estate also produces a white wine. Located in the heart of the Médoc, the property has a unique and exceptional terroir, called the “Butte de la Tour Carnet”. It is a visual curiosity but also geological since it is the only clay-limestone mound of the Medoc. The quality of Château La Tour Carnet’s wines is link to the quality of its terroir of Garonne and Pyrenean gravel. On this type of soil the Merlots flourish particularly well, which explains why half of the Château La Tour Carnet grape varieties are in Merlot. The dominant of this grape gives the wines of the property, a beautiful fruit, flexibility and allows to address them in their youth. During the vinification, the Château team seeks harmony between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in order to have gourmet wines. Thus, the entire harvest is harvested by hand and then vinified in concrete vats for Merlot and in wooden vats for Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging is done in barrels, 50% new, for 18 months to coat and enhance the fruit. Château La Tour Carnet is a wine of great elegance, it is a great Médoc.
1955(1)2003(1)2006(2)2007(1)
Package Size
12 x 75cl
