2009 Château La Tour Carnet

Description

92    Robert Parker for Wine Advocate
“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.” (12/2011)

91    Stephen Tanzer
“Saturated, bright red-ruby. Lively aromas of cassis, blackberry, licorice and mint. Moderately sweet and vinous, with ripe, well-integrated acidity and graphite minerality giving lift to the very rich flavors of dark berries, chocolate and sexy oak. This dense, concentrated wine really calls for five years of cellaring and is built for a graceful evolution in bottle. Looks to be the top vintage yet for this Bernard Magrez wine.” (7/2012)

91    Roger Voss for Wine Enthusiast
“Barrel sample. Firmly dry wine, solid with many firm, wood-derived tannins. It gives bitter coffee and cranberry juice flavors, but also manages to retain freshness.” (8/2010)

90    James Suckling
“A linear wine with very good fruit and plum characters. Full body with firm tannins and a mineral and fruit finish.” (7/2012)

90    Neal Martin for Vinous
“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. Drink 2020 – 2032.” (3/2019)