Wine Advisor
La Tour Carnet 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One of the better values in classified growth Bordeaux over many recent vintages has been La Tour Carnet, which proprietor Bernard Magrez has resurrected to a very high class performance. However, the 2012 La Tour Carnet did not impress me nearly as much as earlier vintages. This deep ruby/purple-hued effort reveals a certain austerity and astringent tannin despite the high Merlot content (about 66% with the rest mostly Cabernet Sauvignon). It is an earthy, angular, medium-bodied, slightly astringent effort. Certainly elevage in the cellars will soften this cuvee somewhat, but for now, it looks like it needs several years of cellaring. It should keep for 12-15 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A blend of 61% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the La Tour Carnet has a sensual, very pure bouquet with subtle cassis notes emerging with time in the glass. The palate is full-bodied with firm grippy quite dry tannins. This is a very forceful La Tour Carnet, quite ambitious but perhaps just a smidgen over-extracted on the finish? One sample tasted in the first week needed to show more harmony, but two samples the following week showed that it is melding together nicely. Tasted April 2013.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Part of the empire of Bernard Magrez, this blend of 61% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc is a sleeper of the vintage in 2012. Its excellent dense ruby/purple color, sweet cassis, black cherry fruit, supple tannins, medium to full body and attractive, long finish make for an impressive wine that should drink nicely for 10-15 years. It’s already accessible. This is another wine that performed dramatically better from the bottle than from barrel tastings.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 La Tour Carnet is gorgeous. Dark red stone fruits, flowers and sweet spices are some of the notes that inform this soft, pliant wine. I expect the 2012 will develop a further range of exotic aromas and flavors as it develops in bottle. This is another overachieving wine from Bernard Magrez and Michel Rolland. Drink it over the next decade.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A wine from this appellation with some balance and harmony with medium body, medium tannins and a berry, mineral and light hazelnut character. Refined.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A soft and silky wine with currant, spice and earth character. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Very pretty. Drink or hold.
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)2009(3)2010(1)2011(7)
Package Size
1 x 3L12 x 75cl
