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Carruades de Lafite 2015

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon
Also available in the following mixed case:

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Lafite Rothschild

Label

Tasting Notes

Lead-pencil aromas with currants and plums, too. Full body, silky tannins and a focused and very refined finish. It's the tannins that drive things. An excellent second wine of Lafite. Needs two or three years to soften. Start drinking in 2021.

94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2018

A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in barrels, 10% new, the 2015 Carruades de Lafite is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and just a little closed at this youthful stage, revealing delicate notes of red and black plums, black cherries and dried herbs plus touches of pencil lead, cedar chest and beef drippings. Medium-bodied, refreshing and with a well-played chewy texture, although just a baby in terms of evolution, it has an accessible structure, finishing long and savory. 2020 - 2032

91
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim Fe), February 2018

Relatively light crimson. Light, rather timid nose. Drying tannins on the end. Very pretty and polite but not at all dramatic!
Drink 2023-2031

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2016

The second wine of Lafite Rothschild is the 2015 Carruades De Lafite and is a beautiful wine in its own right. Based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up mostly in used barrels, it has classy notes of cassis and lead pencil shavings as well as a medium to full-bodied, elegant, beautifully balanced style on the palate. It’s not a massive wine by any stretch, yet it exudes class and elegance, and is already a joy to drink. 2018 - 2033

92
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2017

Light bright the nose is fresh the start of the palate has a fragrant mix of fresh fruits bramble backed by bilberry. There is mid concentration fleshy richness the fruit supported by fine tannins and although sweet and ripe at the back the finish is lighter with a mix of fresh fruits.

89/93
Derek Smedley MW, DerekSmedleyMW.co.uk, April 2016

Making up 35% of the total production at Lafite in 2015 (25% was declassified), this is a
beautifully restrained second wine that was picked comparatively early to retain acidity. The
freshness of this wine was a relief after tasting some of the vintage’s more extracted wines.
Drink: 2020-28

94
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2016

All the Lafite wines are under 13% alcohol and this restraint is sensational. While some parcels on more clay-rich soils came under pressure from the late showers and gave rise to a few issues, the majority of free-draining plots on this incredible estate made the cut. Further selection has resulted in beautiful wines. A wine full of finesse and poise, Carruades is excellently balanced between Cabernet and Merlot and this harmony of red and black fruit has resulted in a precocious and sexy wine with immense appeal and élan.

17.5+
Matthew Jukes, Matthew Jukes' Blog, April 2016
Read more tasting notes...

The 2015 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc. This has a satisfying purity on the nose: blackberry and briary, a distant, cold slate-like note just underneath, with the new oak (close to 20%) neatly subsumed. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is moderate depth to this slightly foursquare and conservative Carruades, but there is also plenty of freshness and it has an appealing, unassuming finish that is both harmonious and precise. Probably one of the most approachable deuxième vins, afford this 2-3 years in bottle before broaching. Drink 2019-2028

89/91
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (224), April 2016

A silky and fine second wine of Lafite with blueberry, blackberry and flower aromas and flavors. Cedar and nuts too.

92/93
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2016
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.