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)

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.

Medium-intensity ruby, fairly austere right now, structured, with the same mint leaf and graphite/ink quality as Lafite. The sweet, brambled black fruits only come in through the mid-palate; it’s well paced, unrolls slowly, a serious and concentrated Carruades with its eye on the future. 12% press wine, harvest September 7 to 29, unusually using only Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

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.

Spicy, floral, and fruity on the nose, with red, black, and blue aromatics, you quickly move to the soft, silky, elegant, fragrant, medium-bodied palate. This is a bright, fresh, charming wine that, even though it does not feel weighty, is sneaky in its length as it lingers on the palate with both fruit and freshness. The wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Interestingly, this is the first vintage in ages, if not ever, with only 2 vintages in the blend. 13.2% ABV, 3.7 pH. The wine consists of roughly 35% of the harvest. 15% press wine. Drink from 2027–2042. 92–94 pts.

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.