Château La Tour Carnet Red 2019

Grand Cru Classé in 1855, Haut-Médoc

"Deep garnet ruby, opaque core, violet highlights, delicate ochre rim. Dark red fruits underlined by subtle woody precious spices, a touch of cherry, delicate orange zest. Juicy, fine cherry fruit, delicate extract sweetness, round tannins, fresh, mineral and balanced structure, with development potential."

Peter Moser

Features

Location: Saint-Laurent Médoc
2023 blend: 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
Age of vines: 32 years
Planting density: 8,000 to 10,000 vines/ha

Tasting

"Deep purple-black in color, the 2019 La Tour Carnet bursts from the glass with bold notes of crushed black plums, fresh cassis and kirsch, as well as suggestions of bay leaves, lead pencil, camphor and wood smoke. The medium-bodied palate offers a powerful core of taut, muscular black fruits with a firm, grainy texture and well-integrated freshness, finishing with a long, savory finish."

Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Food & wine pairing

Grilled meat or meat in sauce
Cheeses
Mushroom dishes

Conservation

2025-2040

Product from a High Environmental Value farm

Ratings & Awards

94/100
James Suckling
96/100
Terre de Vins
94/100
Wine Doctor

94/100

James Suckling

"This is a dense, flavorful red wine with notes of blackberry and black olive. Medium to full-bodied, with firm tannins and a full-flavored finish. It's fleshy and solid. Is it better than the 2018?"

96/100

Terre de Vins

"The two flagship grape varieties share the limelight, pampered by a carefully measured ageing process (30% new barrels) to create a velvety black color and a deep, earthy, fresh palette, carried by a full, unctuous, full-bodied body. The tannins are abundant, but the grain is fine and melted. The success here lies in the way the generous fruitiness is supported by a lacy, acidic structure.

94/100

Wine Doctor

"A Magrez wine tasted in the middle of the Magrez portfolio is a blend of equal parts Merlot, harvested from September 20 to October 2, and Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested from October 1 to 10. It has a very dense color, with a fine, light-colored rim. A rather sumptuous nose, lively and direct, with delicious notes of plum, black cherry and plum, as well as a little dried fruit spice and a hint of violet. On the palate, a supple, creamy substance, dense and luxurious, bearing dashes of sweaty black fruit, wrapped around a core of dense, rich and slightly drying tannins. Layer upon layer of structure here, big and imbued with a tannic grip at the end, with a warm, spirituous feel, this will take a long time to develop. It does, however, have potential."

Winegrowing singularities

Wine Singularities

Climate

Age of vines: 32 years
Soil type: Highly calcareous clay bedrock covered by a thick layer of Gunzian gravel.
Vineyard driving mode:
- Precision viticulture
- 1st leaf-thinning: mid-July on the east side
- 2nd leaf-thinning: mid-August, sunset side
- Hand-picked in crates

Pôle d'étude d'adaptation des cépages au réchauffement climatique.
Vinification :
- 1st sorting in the vineyard.
- Manual sorting on a vibrating table, followed by destemming with a Pellenc WINERY.
- Densimetric sorting
- Harvest cooling using a cryogenic tunnel (liquid nitrogen spraying)
- Gravity vatting using a cuvon
- Vinification in wooden vats and small-capacity cement vats
- Cold pre-fermentation maceration (8°C)
- Entirely manual punching down.
- Alcoholic fermentation at low temperature (28°C)
- Maceration time 25 to 32 days
- Aged in barrels for 16 months, including 30% new barrels

Consulting oenologists: Michel Rolland

The 2019 vintage in the Haut-Médoc appellation was marked by favorable weather conditions, offering exceptional potential for the production of quality red wines. Winter was mild and spring warm and dry, favoring early budburst and even flowering of the vines.

However, despite these promising conditions, the vintage had to contend with an early spring frost episode.

The summer that followed was generous in sunshine and heat, allowing the grapes to ripen gradually and completely. The cool nights preserved a balanced natural acidity in the berries, adding freshness and vivacity to the red wines.

Overall, the 2019 vintage is distinguished by red wines with a fine concentration of fruit, well-integrated tannins and a balanced structure. Despite the challenges they faced, Haut-Médoc's winemakers made the most of the weather conditions to produce high-quality wines, testifying to their expertise and commitment to excellence. This vintage offers wine lovers a rich and memorable tasting experience, once again underlining the prestigious reputation of the Haut-Médoc appellation.