| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pauillac |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
A very good second wine from Lafite Rothschild, the 2012 Carruades de Lafite (53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) shows dark ruby/plum/purple color, cedar wood, blackcurrants, medium-bodied, ripe tannin and a nice textured mouthfeel. It is very attractive, soft and ideal for drinking over the next 15 or more years. Drink: 2015-2030.
Tasted en primeur at the château. The Carruades de Rothschild 2012 is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. It has a very light for nose for Carruades with brambly red fruit and gravel scents. It is a light Carraudes, perhaps missing a little weight in the mid-palate, with a satisfactory, classic finish that tails away a little too quickly. Tasted April 2013.
Finesse and savoury black fruits and mint leaf with gentle rosemary. It has a quiet concentation, together with layers of graphite, slate, and a mouthwating finish. Both quiet and yet powerful, it gives an insight into what makes Lafite so singular, and that is all you can really ask of a 2nd wine. Interesting also in how it differs from Petit Mouton, such a brilliant distillation of the difference between the two estates.
53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Rather a blueish tint. It is extraordinary how refined the Lafite wines are, even in this difficult year. One whiff of this and it's Lafite stable stuff. Albeit it very light and pale with quite strong acidity. Firm and fine. Bone-dry finish. No concessions. I think this will probably always be a tad demanding to drink but it's certainly trying hard to make as good a fist of it as possible.
There is an attractive smoky quality about the nose with a mix of cassis and black cherry on the palate. The sweet fruit on the mid palate is refreshed by bramble and bilberry leaving the finish lighter with an elegant charm. 2018-30
After some disappointing recent releases, when Carruades appeared to be trading on the Lafite
name without delivering real second wine quality, the 2012 is back on form. Delicate and
subtle, with very little new oak in evidence, medium tannins and a core of sweet red fruits.
Drink: 2018-25
The second wine, the 2012 Carruades de Lafite is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Soft, round, accessible and delicious, but uninspiring, it possesses a dark ruby/plum color, medium body and hints of lead pencil shavings intermixed with red and black currants and vanillin. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.
Charles Chevalier was candid in saying that the tropical heat wave, along with the poor flowering resulted in intense labor in the vineyard and during the harvest where triage was the operative word, and had to be done thoroughly and consistently. The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, was the result of a harvest that took place between September 28 and October 9 for the Merlot, October 9-16 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The small amount of Cabernet Franc included in the Carruades de Lafite was harvested on October 11 - 12. Only 38% of the production made it into the grand vin. If the 2012 fills out completely it could turn out similar to the 1998 Lafite.
