2023 Carruades de Lafite
Buying options
Tasting notes
We’ve been particularly impressed by Carruades in recent vintages – and it’s proved itself again this year, as much more than just a Second Wine. The nose is open and inviting, yet refined and delicate, with high-toned red and dark berry fruit. The palate shows beautiful balance (and just 13.1% alcohol), echoing the elegance of the Grand Vin. It has true Cabernet credentials (indeed, the 2023 has the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon to date), with many layers of flavour and a long, fresh finish. Really excellent this year. Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
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.
The second wine of this famed estate, the 2023 Carruades De Lafite checks in as a unique blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, and it might be the first time it's been only two varieties. Pure Lafite elegance emerges in its ripe currants, cherries, leafy herbs, graphite, and leather. It's medium-bodied, pure, layered, and incredibly elegant. Give it just a few years and enjoy over the following two decades. Drink 2028-2048.
The 2023 Carruades de Lafite, which has Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot this year, has a delightful bouquet with lifted black cherries, blueberry and violet scents that blossom in the glass. Touches of vanilla pod emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins. Quite tensile, fresh, sapid with a bright finish, this is a clean and precise Carruades that lingers in the mouth. One of the best Carruades that I have tasted.
About the producer
Ch. Lafite Rothschild is one of the most famous wine estates in Bordeaux and the world. One of the Left Bank’s five First Growths, the Pauillac property is renowned for producing wines of finesse and elegance that age beautifully.