Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Les Carmes Haut-Brion '09 has a very showy ostentatious bouquet with ripe black fruit, creme de cassis and blueberry that explodes from the glass. The palate is full-bodied with rounded succulent black fruit, low acidity, plush and generous with a long sweet, rather oaky finish. It bears similarities to Smith Haut Lafitte in style although compared to the bottle last November there is just a touch more weight on the finish. Tasted January 2013.