| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
The Second wine of Chateau Lafite. Thanks to the fact that the label design is very similar to that of Lafite itself, demand for Carruades from China is enormous. However, the consumer usually finds much better value for money from the same producer's excellent Duhart Milon.
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Lafite Rothschild
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2017 Carruades de Lafite is deep garnet in color. It features subtle notes of blackcurrant pastilles, tilled soil, and warm redcurrants, with suggestions of potpourri, roses, and crushed rocks. Light-bodied, the palate is soft-textured and refreshing, with delicate mineral accents to the red fruits and a long earthy finish.
So much rich, sweet tobacco with currants and spices, as well as graphite. Full-bodied, tight and focused with oyster-shell and lead-pencil character on the palate. Tangy, spicy and peppery. Needs three to four years to soften, but already beautiful.
Lafite got to enjoy a year without excess and without frost, and this is elegant stuff. The tannins are a touch rigid at the beginning, supporting firm black autumnal fruits, classically framed and a touch austere, with cigar box smoke adding a swirl of complexity. As with many of the second wines in Pauillac this year, this is excellently put together but on the savoury side, reflecting the story of the vintage. 20% new oak. This is sure to age well and be ready to drink within four to eight years.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2038
Deep crimson. More lifted and fragrant than the Duhart-Milon just tasted. Dark-red fruit and graphite freshness. Richer and sweeter fruited on the mid palate than the Duhart, a little more generous. Very soft texture but not lacking backgrounded structure. Elegant, and an attractive minerally, dark-fruited finish. Subtle. Understated.
Drink 2025-2037
Fragrant fresh the nose has lots of charm the start of the palate light but there is mid sweetness the fruit is ripe. Under the sweetness the black cherry and cassis bilberry refreshes lightens and gives style, elegance and length on the finish. Drink 2025-2037.
Rather more elegant and with masses more finesse than Duhart, this is a finely balanced wine with a very long, calm, refreshing finish and an enviable hauteur. Oak marks the aroma, but not in an aggressive way and this is balanced neatly by firm yet ripe fruit. Smooth and even and in no way forced or pushy, this is a very relaxed Carruades and it shows a degree of class.
The 2017 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it prances out of the glass with joyful notions of black cherries, redcurrant jelly and cassis plus hints of kirsch, cedar chest, pencil lead and a waft of raspberry leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate possesses bags of poise and freshness, dishing out lots of bright red and black fruits with a soft, finely grained frame, finishing long with a skip in its step. 2020-2035
A bright Carruades with cedar and tobacco character. Medium to full body and medium chewy tannins. Very pretty center palate.
The medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Carruades de Lafite is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and opens with expressive notes of espresso and dark chocolate over a core of cassis, wood smoke and tilled soil plus touches of truffles and black olives. Medium-bodied, very fine-grained and refreshing, it has great poise and a long, savory finish.
