Press review

Decanter # Vol 32 No9 (6/1/2007) : 17/20 Maturity: 2011-2020

Fine purple red, fresh cassis nose with violets, lovely fragrant fruit, ripe even jammy attack, great elegance on the finish.

Domaine

After a cold wet winter came a fine spring and nice summer that led to early veraison and good ripening. However, the rain in mid-September disturbed the harvests. Beautiful deep coloured hue. Nice fruity nose. Powerful on the palate, round and a very good tannic finish (before fining), well balanced with woody notes.

Jean-Marc Quarin (3/1/2007)

Lovely color, Fruity, ripe, fresh nose. Wine has a ripe taste and well-extracted tannic texture. Caressing in the mouth and pleasant. It ends with an average finish. Only the aromatic expression seemed a bit timid to me. Aging will say what follows.

Parker # 181 (2/28/2009) : 90 Maturity: -2024

The second wine, which has soared in quality over the last decade, is an outstanding effort displaying a character similar to that of Lafite, without the size, depth, and aging potential of that wine. The 2006 Carruades de Lafite offers up aromas of graphite, cedar, black currants, sweet cherries, and smoky herbs. This complex, more evolved, medium-bodied, silky-textured, sexy offering will provide plenty of pleasure over the next 15+ years.

The property in brief

Given the refined selection of fine wines after two decades, the Carruades feature characteristics similar to those of the fine wine, but with their own personality linked to a higher percentage of Merlot in its composition, and plots of land that are clearly identified as producing Carruades. The origin of the name comes from the Carruades plateau, the name of a group of plots adjacent to the chateau’s best vineyards, purchased in 1845 by Château Lafite. In the 20th century, the Carruades were marketed separately from Château Lafite before being integrated. The name Carruades adopted as the name of Château Lafite Rothschild’s second wine, was initially called Moulin des Carruades before the 1980’s. The second wine of Château Lafite Rothschild makes each year part of the TOP wines of Pauillac. It shines forth by its voluptuous pleasure and its generosity. Beautiful, pure wine, low acidity, incredible maturity. Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 50 to 70%, Merlot 30 to 50%, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot 0 to 5%.