Carruades de Lafite 2015

Discreet spice, slender and elegant, with tension and length, silky tannins.

Warm plum, fig and black tea notes mix here, with a charcoal frame and a smoldering tobacco accent running through the finish. The velvety and slightly rugged textures are intertwined, showing a nice tug of earth at the end. Best from 2022 through 2030. 20,000 cases made.

Well knitted together, this is a Carruades that has intensity but remains approachable, with a well fleshed out structure. It really opens up in the glass, an extremely pretty wine that manages delicacy, freshness and energy without losing the Pauillac punch. The relatively low alcohol makes this seem balanced and drinkable even at this young age. 30% of overall estate production. Bottled May 2017.

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.

The 2015 Carruades de Lafite is terrific. Pliant, supple and inviting, the 2015 offers notable radiance and suppleness, with pretty Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics to play off the racy fruit. Red plum, licorice and dried flowers lead into an effortless, pliant finish that adds to the wine's considerable appeal.

Medium-bodied, forward, fresh, elegant, and refined, you can always find secondary development with its tobacco and herbal nuances. The fruits show sweet, ripe red berries with good purity. You can always enjoy this soft, elegant Pauillac.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate bright rim. Subtle tobacco and savoury herbal underlay, ripe cherry fruit, somewhat restrained, candied orange zest. Taut, tight texture, firm tannins, refined structure, black berry fruit on the finish, good length, mineral finish.

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.

Deep purple. Warm, radiant bouquet with notes of ripe plums, then black tea nuances and dark woods, already quite approachable. On the palate, medium-weight, with spicy extract, not particularly fleshy nor especially concentrated. This will be a pleasing Pauillac with a gastronomic flair.

Deep purple, dense at the core, with a garnet sheen at the rim. Warm, radiant bouquet suggesting ripe plums, followed by black tea notes and dark woods, already showing quite accessible. On the palate, medium-bodied, with spicy extract, not particularly fleshy nor especially concentrated. Instead, this will be a pleasing Pauillac with a gastronomic flair.

(57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc) Silky, fine, medium-bodied bouquet, red and blue berries, strawberries, subtle plum, tobacco, chocolate. Delicate, slightly firm, medium-bodied palate with precise fruit, finely sandy tannins, sweet aromatics, fine structure, long, fragrant finish. 17/20 2022 - 2035

Understated tension on the opening, plenty of Pauillac kick, cocoa bean, bitter dark chocolate, cassis bud, white flowers, elegant and ready to drink at the ten-year window. 10% new oak for ageing.

A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc gives the 2015 Carruades de Lafite a medium to deep garnet color. It delivers evolving scents of stewed black plums, black and red currant preserves, and tobacco leaf, plus suggestions of dusty soil, dried Provencal herbs, and graphite. Light-bodied, the palate has a racy backbone injecting energy into the elegant mineral and earthy layers, with a grainy texture and a lifted finish.

Fairly broad and full, with harmonious tannins, but not complex enough for its standing and price.

Carruades 2015 is solid, but shows a slight lack of complexity and depth considering the prestige of the label.

Purple with violet highlights. A filigree, complex bouquet marked by notes of red berries and licorice. Elegant, dense, and fruity attack. Plenty of finesse on the palate, with aromas of strawberries and raspberries. The body is slightly creamy, with precise, well-integrated tannins in harmony with the structure. A wine that needs a bit of development and is very promising.

The nose is fine, elegant, racy and shows tension. It reveals notes of ripe blackcurrant and Boysenberry, combined with subtle touches of wild strawberry, fresh red berries, blueberry/blue fruits, graphite, caramelized oak and minerality, as well as discreet hints of violet, Cubeb pepper and cardamom. The palate is mineral, fruity, balanced, slightly tight/fleshy, offering a lovely grain, excellent balance, fine concentration, beautiful finesse, purity, a delicate acidic thread, subtle tension, and good definition and structure. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of blackberry, blackcurrant and subtle touches of cherry, along with fine hints of graphite, toasted oak and sweet spices, as well as discreet nuances of blond tobacco, chocolate, caramelization and licorice. Good length and lovely persistence.

Deep red color. Fruity, lively nose. The palate has a delicately plush texture, very fruity and tasty, finishing with wrapped tannins and bright fruit. Blend: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc.

This second wine of Lafite comes from young vines and wines selected during the blending. The result is a wine with the structure and nobility of the Lafite character but one that will age more quickly. It has great layers of black-currant fruits and acidity, with firm tannins as a background and rich potential. Drink from 2025.