Carruades de Lafite 2023

For the first time with only two grape varieties, 60% Cabernet, 40% Merlot. Seductive nose, charming on the palate, delicate, straightforward, powerful, showing spice in a red-fruited finish. Will be enjoyable early, can age.

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. 44 hl/ha. Cask sample. Crunchy, gourmand fruit allied to a suave, velvety texture. Dense and well structured with a certain tension on the finish. (JL)

The 2023 Carruades de Lafite is a rare Carruades that is just Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as the team felt Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot were not as successful. Silky, aromatic and finessed, the Carruades captures all the elegance of its big sibling, but in a more accessible package. Dried rose petal, orange peel, mint, cinnamon and red-toned fruit soar across the palate. Brisk acids pull it all together on the long, sustained finish lifted by expressive floral overtones.

Dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate herbal savouriness, ripe cherry fruit. Full-bodied, ripe red fruit, elegant, firm, integrated tannins, mineral-salty finish, lingers well, lemon touch, a refined food companion, dynamic, fresh and delicate on the finish.

Enjoyable tasting from bottle, with finesse and a well-defined sense of promise. Spicy, with good depth to the autumnal fruits, laced with tobacco, cigar box, cold ash, slate and bilberry fruit, plus an easy-to-love slate-like scrape to the tannins. 12% press wine; harvest September 7 to 29; unusually, the blend uses only Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Score: 92–94. A refined, restrained nose with floral notes (peony) and ripe black fruit (blackberry), before a saline breeze arrives. A clear, gentle entry on the palate, with an open structure and a saline touch that contributes to the length.

Carruades underwent 16 months of ageing, with one-third in new barrels. The bouquet stands out for its bright fruit expression, offering inviting, delightful raspberry notes with a hint of mint, then currant, revealing a certain ripeness neatly framed by freshness. Velvety on the attack, the wine shows perfectly integrated tannins that are unafraid to display their power—so precise and well tamed! The acidic backbone, meanwhile, helps energise the palate through to the finish. A wine that makes its intentions clear, with respectable ambition, and a confident, poised presence.

Flowers, tobacco, currants, spice, and cigar box fill the aromatic profile. The medium-bodied palate is soft, silky, elegant, fragrant, bright, and fresh, making the perfect frame for all the sweet, ripe, refined fruits. The wine is sneaky in its length, as it lingers on the palate, with fruit, as well as freshness. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 40% Merlot. Drink from 2028-2048.

95-97. Barrel Sample. This smoky wine has a rich structure with a touch of softness from the Merlot. There is a classic structure here due to black-currant fruits and rounded tannins.

Dark, intense colour with a slight evolution. Highly aromatic nose with ripe fruit. A hint of pine needles when the glass is swirled. Precise on the attack, very aromatic on the mid-palate, delicate and silky, the wine stretches out on the finish with a touch of astringency on the lingering aftertaste. Good, sappy length.

The 2023 Carruades de Lafite offers up aromas of cassis bud, cedar box, spices and orange zest, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, ample and charming palate animated by a lively spine of acidity. It's a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, without any Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot this year.

Quite a strong and intense nose, dark fruits, bramble, liquorice and dark chocolate. Some hints of perfume at the back. Lovely firmness and sense of youth, bright and buzzy, so much energy and liveliness. High acidity, piercing and direct gives this a sharpness but with bounce too, so it’s not too straight or too hard. The opposite of serious. Almost tart but then expands and with the powdery tannins giving weight towards the finish ending on a slightly herbal, spiced note. Vibrant with punchy red fruits; cranberry and strawberry. Energy but controlled and directed with good persistence, all in balance and harmonious. A great second wine. 12% press. 3.7pH. No Petit Verdot in the blend this year.