Carruades de Lafite 2005

Their second wine, the 2005 Carruades de Lafite, shows much of the character of its bigger sister, with loads of red and black currant fruit, spice box and earth. Medium-bodied, with soft tannins, this precise, pure and seductive wine should be drunk over the next 15-20 years.

Has coffee and chocolate aromas, with hints of ripe fruit. Medium-bodied, with soft tannins and a fruity, plummy, milk chocolaty aftertaste. Best after 2012.

Though this is the second wine for Lafite-Rothschild, it is a major wine in its own right, with its dense, powered fruit and a structure obviously built to last. There is sweet, rich fruit and lively vibrant acidity. Imported by Domaines Barons de Rothschild and multiple U.S. importers.

This has understated elegance on the attack, confident and quietly brilliant with flavours of cassis, bilberry, hedgerow and a basket full of darkly brambled fruits alongside tobacco and menthol notes. Flavoursome, subtle and multi-faceted - this is still fresh and full of life. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 10% new oak

Good deep red. Pungent aromas of currant, cherry skin, leather, graphite, olive and flowers. Suave, minerally and penetrating, with lovely energy and floral lift. Not at all a fleshy style but classic, vibrant and firmly built, finishing with excellent lift.

Very dark garnet with bluish-black highlights. Dark bouquet with a slightly woody feel, dried prunes, liquorice, with a faint inky note and a floral hint at the outset. The palate is fairly gentle on entry, with fine tannins and a muscular build, dark-berry character, and a refined bitterness on a finish that still feels a touch lean at the moment, showing less primary fruit than its rivals.

Very dark garnet color with bluish-black highlights. Dark bouquet with a slightly oaky feel, notes of dried prunes, licorice, and a subtly inky and floral opening. Fairly gentle flow on the palate, fine tannins, muscular, marked by black berries, with a noble bitterness in the finish, which for now still feels a bit lean. It shows less primary fruit than its competitors.

An integral part of the 1855 story, the Carruades plateau was purchased in 1845 by Lafite, and was kept separate from the main wine until the early 20th century, recognised for its quality so much that in the 1850s then owner of Lafite was told not to sell it to neighbouring Mouton as it would give them a quality advantage. Today the original Carruades plateau is largely used for Lafite's first wine, and grapes for Carruades de Lafite taken from a variety of different plots, decided at blend. This 2005 is complex, fleshy, nuanced, flavoursome, elegant black fruits, juicy uplift on the finish, ready to drink but going nowhere. 43hl/ha yields, 80% aged in oak, 10% new oak,

A wine with a wonderfully supple texture and an extremely graceful mouthfeel. A very tasty finish. This is one of the most refined Carruades I’ve tasted.