Winemaker Notes
Very floral nose with exceptional complexity. On the palate, fine balance on the attack continues with good flavor expression before a fairly long finish with lovely structure, still lively and with a hint of oak.
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine of this reference point château, the 2023 Carruades De Lafite is based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, resting in 50% new French oak. Crème de cassis, graphite, wildflowers, spicy wood, and lead pencil notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, with a focused, classic Lafite elegance, ample mid-palate depth, and ripe tannins. I love its overall purity, balance, and length.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
James Suckling
Elegant and fruit-forward, with fresh herbs, plums, red currants and red berries. Expressive, juicy and poised, with medium body. Tannins are fine and firm, the bright finish lingering elegantly in the back of the nose. Lovely finesse. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. Already charming and drinkable but can hold.
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Vinous
The 2023 Carruades de Lafite is a very pretty, sensual wine that very much captures the personality of the Grand Vin, naturally in a more approachable style. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with no Franc or Petit Verdot. I have to say, there is something very direct about the 2023—something frank that is really evident. I admire its purity. Succulent red plum, spice, cedar, tobacco and a lifting touch of white pepper open first, while beautifully persistent saline undertones extend the finish.–Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
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.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.