Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac, 2023

Name: Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac
Brand: Château Lafite Rothschild
Price: 1136.74 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1996 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2019 2021 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

Produced from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, Lafite's second wine has less definition than the very impressive Duhart Milon, but still possesses an attractive core of dark berry fruit, minerals and stony, salty notes. The tannins are a touch brusque, but we expect these to resolve during élevage.

critic reviews

94/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

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

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2044

date of review 04/2024

91-93/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2023 Carruades de Lafite is notable for some of the Cabernet being picked prior to the Merlot, between September 7 and 29. This year, there is no Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot in the blend. It has a far superior bouquet to some of the vintages I was tasting a decade or so ago—much more purity and precision, with notes of black plum, wild strawberry and a touch of cassis. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky texture and a crisp line of acidity. It’s fresh, precise and saline, with a long tail on the finish. This is surely one of the best Carruades I have tasted at this stage.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2047

date of review 04/2024

92-94/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2023 Carruades de Lafite is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, a beautiful perfume of rose oil and lavender is released, opening out to a classic core of cassis, fresh plums, and pencil lead with a touch of red, iron-rich soil. The light to medium-bodied palate is delicately styled, with compelling vibrancy and nice, ripe, fine-grained tannins supporting the black fruits, finishing long and fragrant. This is very pretty! The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with pH 3.70. The alcohol is 13.2%.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2042

date of review 04/2024

91-93/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the 2023 Carruades de Lafite is lovely, bursting with aromas of minty blackberries, cassis and cigar box, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered palate that's creamy and textural, its generous core of fruit largely concealing its powdery structuring tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish.

date of review 04/2024