Château La Tour Carnet

The estate

The tower and its moat are the oldest things on the estate; the building dates from 1120. Michel de Montaigne’s sister lived here, and a guest room carries his name. La Tour Carnet was ranked a fourth growth in 1855, and by the end of the 20th century it had shrunk badly: when the Pelegrin family sold it to Bernard Magrez in 2000 it stood at 44 hectares. It runs to about 190 today. Magrez, who was 90 in 2026, has named his son Philippe as his successor across the group.

The planting leans to Merlot, which is unusual for a classified growth of the Médoc: about 59% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, on Pyrenean and Günz gravel over clay and limestone. The wine spends 16 months in oak, about 30% of the barrels new. La Mémoire de La Tour Carnet is the second wine, and there is also a white, sold as Bordeaux.

La Tour Carnet 2050 is the project to know. From 2013 the estate planted 84 varieties from a private collection, forgotten ones among them, and laid electric cables in the ground to warm selected rows and force the ripening that a climate 2 to 4 degrees warmer would bring. A vat house of 84 thermoregulated vats went in in 2022, so that each variety can be made on its own. Behind the fortress walls the cellar is thoroughly modern, optical sorting included, and the 2014, which I tasted in December 2025, had the poise of a cooler year: polish without the swagger of the hot vintages.

At a glance

Appellation

Haut-Médoc

Commune

Saint-Laurent-Médoc

Classification

Quatrième Cru Classé 1855

Owner

Bernard Magrez, since 2000; the Pelegrin family before him

Vineyard

About 190 hectares, against 44 in 2000

Ground

Pyrenean and Günz gravel over clay and limestone

Grapes

Merlot about 59%, Cabernet Sauvignon about 35%, with a little Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot

Cellar

Optical sorting; 16 months in oak, about 30% new; a vat house of 84 thermoregulated vats, 2022

Wines

Château La Tour Carnet; La Mémoire de La Tour Carnet; a white sold as Bordeaux

The tower

Moated, from 1120

La Tour Carnet 2050

84 varieties planted from 2013, and cables in the ground to warm the rows

Sources: Château La Tour Carnet, the estate · Château La Tour Carnet, La Tour Carnet 2050 · Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Château La Tour Carnet · Bernard Magrez, Château La Tour Carnet · Guto Assumpção on Instagram, Château La Tour Carnet 2014 & Clos Payrol 2011, December 19, 2025