Carruades de Lafite 2015

Lead-pencil aromas with currants and plums, too. Full body, silky tannins and a focused and very refined finish. It's the tannins that drive things. An excellent second wine of Lafite. Needs two or three years to soften. Start drinking in 2021.

A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in barrels, 10% new, the 2015 Carruades de Lafite is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and just a little closed at this youthful stage, revealing delicate notes of red and black plums, black cherries and dried herbs plus touches of pencil lead, cedar chest and beef drippings. Medium-bodied, refreshing and with a well-played chewy texture, although just a baby in terms of evolution, it has an accessible structure, finishing long and savory. 2020 - 2032

Relatively light crimson. Light, rather timid nose. Drying tannins on the end. Very pretty and polite but not at all dramatic!
Drink 2023-2031

The second wine of Lafite Rothschild is the 2015 Carruades De Lafite and is a beautiful wine in its own right. Based on 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc brought up mostly in used barrels, it has classy notes of cassis and lead pencil shavings as well as a medium to full-bodied, elegant, beautifully balanced style on the palate. It’s not a massive wine by any stretch, yet it exudes class and elegance, and is already a joy to drink. 2018 - 2033

Light bright the nose is fresh the start of the palate has a fragrant mix of fresh fruits bramble backed by bilberry. There is mid concentration fleshy richness the fruit supported by fine tannins and although sweet and ripe at the back the finish is lighter with a mix of fresh fruits.

Making up 35% of the total production at Lafite in 2015 (25% was declassified), this is a
beautifully restrained second wine that was picked comparatively early to retain acidity. The
freshness of this wine was a relief after tasting some of the vintage’s more extracted wines.
Drink: 2020-28

All the Lafite wines are under 13% alcohol and this restraint is sensational. While some parcels on more clay-rich soils came under pressure from the late showers and gave rise to a few issues, the majority of free-draining plots on this incredible estate made the cut. Further selection has resulted in beautiful wines. A wine full of finesse and poise, Carruades is excellently balanced between Cabernet and Merlot and this harmony of red and black fruit has resulted in a precocious and sexy wine with immense appeal and élan.