Carruades de Lafite 2019

Baron Eric de Rothschild, chairman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR), described Château Lafite Rothschild and its terroir as a viticultural tour de force with the power to, “turn bare earth into heaven.” This is no exception for the Second Wine of this property, Carruades de Lafite.  Carruades de Lafite is a formidable wine that allows lovers of the incredible terroir and winemaking prowess of Château Lafite Rothschild to experience the treasures of this estate while waiting for their bottle of grand vin to blossom.

The property is currently headed by Saskia de Rothschild, who took over management responsibilities from her father in 2017.  Prior to that, the property was run by Baron Eric de Rothschild, the chairman of Domaines Barons de Rothschild for 42 years. This holding company has vineyards all over the globe, including China, Argentina and Chile.  The château has been owned by the same branch of the Rothschild family since 1868.  The wine from this estate has continued to captivate the minds of wine drinkers around the globe. The late American president Thomas Jefferson was reported to have been a lifelong consumer of its great wines.  He had a penchant for the finer things and spent $10,000 on his wines one year -- that's the equivalent of 1 million dollars today.  A hefty amount of that purchase consisted of wines from Château Lafite Rothschild and the other great First Growth, Château Haut Brion.  Naturally, his extravagant lifestyle led him into debt and towards the end of his life he was practically penniless.  His biggest regret? That he couldn't drink wine from Château Lafite Rothschild anymore.

Lafite Rothschild has an illustrious past, with references to its exalted wines that date back to as early as 1234.  The chateau rose to prominence in the 17th century, largely due to contributions of Marquis Nicolas Alexandre de Ségur.  Known as, “The Wine Prince,” the Marquis de Ségur improved the viticultural techniques at Lafite and introduced the wines to royalty at the court of Versailles.  The excellence of the wine was undeniable, and soon Lafite Rothschild’s Grand Vin became known as the wine of kings.  Lafite Rothschild cemented its reputation when it was recognized as one of the First Growths of the 1855 Classification, earning it much-deserved prestige on a global scale.  As the years progressed, new innovations improved the viticultural process on the estate.  Dairy cows were introduced to organically fertilize the property, and the estate built its own cooperage for making barrels to age the wines to perfection.  At Lafite Rothschild, tradition marries artistic innovation, and the result is great wine for generations.

Carruades de Lafite has similar characteristics to the grand vin of Château Lafite Rothschild.  Its name derives from the Carruades plateau, a group of plots that were acquired in 1845 near the vines on the Château hilltop.  The wine has a softer feel, largely due to the higher percentages of Merlot.  Yet make no mistake, Carruades de Lafite is a formidable Second Wine with plenty of ageing power. 

"The 2019 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, harvested from the 19th of September to the 7th of October. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it comes skipping out of the glass with bright, fresh notions of wild blueberries, ripe plums and redcurrant jelly plus hints of cinnamon stick, cumin seed, oolong tea and violets with a waft of black olives. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers loads of rich, ripe, spicy flavors with a soft texture of nicely rounded tannins and with the freshness in the background, finishing on a lingering allspice note. In a word: Yum!" - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (6/4/2020, Bordeaux 2019 Issue), Rating: 92-94