Wine Advisor
La Tour Carnet 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2021 La Tour Carnet shows promise, exhibiting aromas of cherries and blackberries mingled with loamy soil and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and generous, with lively acids and chalky grip, it's often among my favorites of the Magrez portfolio, and that's the case this year.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2021 La Tour Carnet has a slightly lean, black olive- and loam-scented bouquet, with touches of autumn leaves filtering through the black fruit. It is very restrained but it coheres in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a lean entry, a touch of green bell pepper lurking in the background, turning slightly bitter (again) toward the briny finish. Though it has shortcomings due to the growing season, I can still imagine it partnering well at the dinner table. This is not a memorable La Tour Carnet, but it has its place. NB A second bottle exhibits more cohesion.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A linear and typical Medoc here with blackcurrants and hints of spearmint on the nose and palate. Firm, polished and lightly velvety tannins.
Reviewed by: Zekun Shuai
Fresh aromas of currants, berries, graphite, roasted red peppers and mineral. This is fresh and linear with medium body and plenty of fine-grained tannins. From a lighter vintage, this delivers the juiciness of the year. Drink now.
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.
