English
中文 (葡萄酒和博客用英語)
日本語 （ワイン在庫表＆ブログ）Carruades de Lafite
a featured wine
Our Carruades de Lafite wines |
Parker Score hover or click for more |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | Vintage | Case size | Price/case | Cases | ||
| Carruades de Lafite | 2006 | 3×300cl | £3,100 | 1 | – |   |
| (Notes not available) | ||||||
| Carruades de Lafite | 2008 | 12×75cl | £2,500 | 1 | 91 | |
| A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the 2008 exhibits graphite, sandalwood, black and red currant, chocolate and damp earth characteristics in its elegant, medium to full-bodied, fresh, lively personality. It is a delicious, luscious, already evolved wine to drink over the next 15+ years. | ||||||
| Carruades de Lafite | 2009 | 12×75cl | £2,500 | 5 | 93 | |
| Of course, the wine to buy in order to get a look at the Lafite Rothschild style and personality is their second wine, Carruades de Lafite, which has become very fashionable in Asia, causing the prices to soar. A very strong effort, the 2009 Carruades de Lafite may be the finest Carruades since the 2003. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it reveals lots of sweet cassis intermixed with subtle smoke and forest floor, undeniable lusciousness and full-bodied hedonism. The wood component is pushed to the background, and the wine is extremely viscous, round and delicious. Additional complexity should continue to emerge over the next decade and this 2009 should keep for 20-30 years. | ||||||
| Carruades de Lafite | 2010 | 12×75cl | £2,200 | 5 | 91-94 | |
| RP: 91-94 2010 Carruades de Lafite: Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot and a dollop of Cabernet Franc, the beautiful 2010 Carruades de Lafite may turn out to be one of the finest yet produced (although I still have a weakness for the brilliant 2003, which is drinking beautifully at present). Notes of charcoal, black currants, sweet cherries, licorice, herbs and cedar are all present in this full-bodied, opulent, stunning second wine. It will be drinkable upon release and should last for 20 or more years. | ||||||
|
Don’t see the Carruades de Lafite you are looking for? Get in touch – we will track it down for you if at all possible |
||||||
Carruades de Lafite
Is now one of the most known of all second wines, indeed one of the most known wines in Bordeaux. Charles Chevalier has embarked on a determined re-positioning of Carruades de Lafite in line with the emphasis on second wines as fine wines in their own right.
Thus, Carruades resembles its elder sibling Lafite, in style and finesse but with its personality based on a higher percentage of Merlot and ultimately, a distinct terroir; the Carruades plateau, a group of plots adjacent to the Grand Vin (and located next to those of Mouton Rothschild) that have formed part of the estate since 1845. Indeed, suggest that vines have probably existed on the unique Lafite terroir since 1234!
Until the 1980’s Carruades was known as Moulin de Carruades and marketed independently of Lafite. However, this has changed and today Carruades de Lafite is a firm part of the chateau identity.
Vinification and production
From a selection of historic parcels over limestone and gravel, Carruades is traditionally vinified then sees approximately one and a half years ageing in old barrel-based oak.
Style
Carruades is an elegantly-styled wine whose relatively high Merlot content add depth of richness to the ever riper Cabernet Sauvignon displaying textbook cedar and cassis along with pure blackberry notes and characteristic freshness.
Top-rated vintages
| Vintage | RP | JR | market price £ | £/ Parker points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 91-94 | |||
| 2009 | 92-94 | 17 | 3,450 | 37.10 |
| 2008 | 91 | 15.5 | 3,850 | 42.31 |
| 2003 | 93 | 16.5 | 3,800 | 40.86 |
| 2007 | 90 | 17 | 3,850 | 42.77 |
| 2000 | 90 | 18 | 4,000 | 44.44 |
| 1998 | 89 | 3,700 | 41.57 | |
| 2005 | 89 | 16 | 3,850 | 43.26 |
| 1996 | 86-88 | 16 | 3,750 | 43.10 |
| 1995 | 87 | 17.5 | 3,700 | 42.53 |
As per June 2010
Market
The market for second wines has existed, among the top chateaux at any rate, for at least 250 years with the basic decision-making on their evolution and position within the market remaining unchanged; which plots, vine-age, percentage in relation to the Grand Vin etc. Following virtual abandonment during the terrible years of the 20th century, when it was hard enough to sell the Grand Vin, the market has changed considerably from 1982 on.
Second wines have grown exponentially with 60% of the top 200 chateaux now producing one. Viticultural practices are better than ever before and the First Growths in particular, have begun in earnest with the repositioning of their second wine as a noble wine in its own right, applying as exacting a standard to its cultivation and production as with their first wine.
Until very recently the prevailing wisdom was that second wines had no investment value. However, like the opening of the US market in the 1950s which saw prices for the first growths shoot up 50%, the expansion of the market to include a new and more global rich would seem to herald a new era for the second wines.
Few are better positioned to take advantage of this than Carruades de Lafite.
Increasing awareness of Carruades de Lafite in new markets, in particular China, has, since the 2000 vintage, led to Carruades becoming one of the world’s most collectible wines, indeed a status symbol of choice.
Liv-ex Power 100 ranking
| 2010 | total score | 2009 | move |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 150 | 13 | +3 |
The Liv-ex Power 100 is a list of the top performers over the previous year and their position starting the current year. The indice traces the movement of chateau and other wines using a sophisticated weighting system based on average prices, production, notional availability and Parker Points.
Release price evolution
| Vintage | ex Negociant € / btl | London release price £ / cs |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ||
| 2009 | 68 | 1,200 |
| 2008 | 38 | 550 |
| 2007 | 38 | 600 |
| 2006 | 38 | 410 |
| 2005 | 36 | 410 |
Carruades de Lafite at a glance
Commune: Pauillac
Soils: free-draining gravel bed with limestone on raised ground.
Climate: maritime, moderated by the Gironde estuary and Atlantic Ocean, pine forests provide insulation from strong winds off the ocean and help to lessen summer temperatures.
District: Medoc
Classification: 1er Cru Classe
Owner: Baron Eric de Rothschild
Winemaker: Charles Chevallier
Vineyard: Cabernet Sauvignon 50 to 70%, Merlot 30 to 50%, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot 0 to 5% depending on the vintage.
Vinification and ageing: 16 to 18 months – 90% in old barrels and 10% in new ones.
Production: 15,000 to 20,000 cases
