Critic Ratings & Tasting Notes
James Suckling (96/100)
“This is a beautiful Carruades with currant, sweet-tobacco and wet-earth aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with a dense center-palate and tight, polished tannins. Fresh, with tension. Reminds me of the 1995 Lafite. This is so Lafite in character. It shows so much cabernet sauvignon character. It’s 68% cabernet sauvignon, 27% merlot and the rest cabernet franc. Try after 2026.”
Falstaff (95/100)
“Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle edge brightening. Ripe black berry fruit with chocolate undertones, nuances of heart cherry and blackberry, delicate hints of oak. Juicy and silky on the palate, fine tannins, elegant, ripe cherry, delicate hints of plum, subtle nougat touch on the finish, already well developed and very inviting, a multi-faceted food companion, has good development and certain ageing potential.”
Decanter (95/100)
“Ripe nose, so fresh and alive with beautiful cherry-perfumed aromas too. This has a lovely, almost sweet, aspect to the fruit on the palate with high acidity making you salivate. High-toned blackcurrants and red cherries are supported by soft tannins and gentle licks of liquorice and coffee. A wine you just want to drink now as it’s so appealing with freshness and lift, but it has the sides of spice that give it structure and make you realise it’s still powerful and will age so well. The finish is cool and lifted. Poise and persistence – a tantalising Carruades.”
Jeb Dunnuck (94/100)
“The 2019 Carruades de Lafite tastes like a mini-Lafite, offering beautiful currant, tobacco, cedar pencil, and spicy nuances in a medium-bodied, pure, elegant package. Based on 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc (which is a very high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon), this seamless 2019 has remarkable purity and precision, as well as length. It tastes more like a Grand Vin than a second wine.”
A second wine from Pauillac of great purity
The property
First among the classified growths of 1855 in Bordeaux, the Château Lafite Rothschild is a lord on its gravel lands. Carrying a long viticultural tradition initiated in 1620, it has asserted itself over the centuries as a true standard-bearer of the Pauillac appellation on the left bank of the Bordeaux region. Indeed, from Cardinal Richelieu to the then President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, the great personalities of this world have fallen under the charm of these great wines with a unique soul and unparalleled refinement.
The vineyard
Château Lafite Rothschild benefits from an exceptional location with a vineyard divided into three major areas. The Carruades plateau is located to the west of the estate on fine gravel and sandy soils over limestone subsoils.
The vintage
The vintage begins under a mild and dry winter, favoring an early vegetative start. However, a cool and dry spring in April and May slows growth, leading to capricious flowering marked by coulure and millerandage at the end of May. After a rainy and cool start to June, a short heatwave reminiscent of 2003 occurs, but the vine resists better than in previous years. On July 26, a saving rain of 45 mm triggers the veraison. August, moderate in temperature, experiences some showers that raise fears of botrytis, but a dry end of summer allows for a serene approach to the harvest in mid-September.
Vinification and aging
Alcoholic fermentation in wooden, cement and steel vats, accompanied by gentle pumping over. Maceration of about 20 days. Malolactic fermentation then racking of the wines in French oak barrels made by the Tonnellerie des Domaines in Pauillac. Aging of about 16 months.
Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon (68%)
Merlot (27%)
Cabernet Franc (5%).
