Extremely perfumed with violets, lavender and hot stones as well as fruit and dark chocolate. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and silky and fresh. A lovely and bright wine now.

Expressive on the nose, it offers red fruit, rose petals, cola and hints of black truffle, a little more mineralité than previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, fine depth, crisp and taut with grip and muscle on the finish. Yet it is streamlined and focused with ample sapidity, quite elegant after a few minutes in the glass. This is a satisfying wine for the vintage rather than an exceptional one.

The 2014 Les Carmes Haut Brion has a very ripe, fig-tinged bouquet with red cherries, orange sorbet and faint tarry scents. This has more bravado than many of its Pessac-Leognan peers. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin. It comes across as more modern in style than its peers, silky smooth with caressing succulent red cherry and blackberry fruit leading to a polished finish.

Dusty tannins float in this impressive wine. It has dark layers of black fruits and acidity that cushion the dry, tannic character, with great freshness at the end.

This has a fresh feel, with a juniper streak adding energy to the plum coulis, red currant and bramble notes. Flecks of bay, pepper and tobacco fill in on the finish, giving this good range. Not the densest of the pack, but well done.