Crafted from the younger vines of Château Lafite Rothschild’s legendary terroir, the 2021 Carruades de Lafite delivers signature Pauillac elegance in a more approachable, youthful frame. Bright and energetic, with layers of blackcurrant, cedar, and floral spice, this second wine of Lafite balances finesse, structure, and freshness—promising even greater harmony with a few years of cellaring.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 95
Published: Apr 6, 2024

The currants, cedar and violets are very bright on the nose, with sandalwood undertones and pencil shavings. This is medium-bodied, beautiful and firm, with finesse and real Lafite character for their second wine. Racy at the end. Drinkable now but even better in three or four years.

Decanter | D 93
Published: Dec 1, 2023
Date: 2025-2039

Ripe, dark perfumed blackcurrant and black cherries on the nose. Fragrant but also herbal, liquorice, clove, tobacco and toast. Supple and juicy on the palate, a lovely sense of life and energy to this straight away. Gorgeous texture, full and expansive in the mouth with gently plush and crushed velveted tannins. Feels like a serious wine with a great fresh backbone of lively acidity, ripe fruit and structured tannins. I love the high acidity and sense of explosion you get here. Raspberry, red cherry and blackcurrant - so red and black fruits with tinges and hints of liquorice, cola and mint around the edges. Really nuanced but very approachable. Fun with clarity and precision. Such a clear palate. A lively baby brother.

The Wine Advocate | RP 91
Published: Feb 8, 2024
Drink: 2027-2045

The 2021 Carruades de Lafite is mostly composed of the younger replacement vines dotted throughout Lafite's vineyards on the plateau, which are harvested separately. Offering up aromas of red berries, cassis, cedar box and orange rind, it's medium to full-bodied, lively and layered, with good concentration and a long, penetrating finish. It's a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, part of which was matured in wooden vats rather than barriques.

lafite.com

The vintage
The rules we set ourselves for the blending of Carruades are becoming clearer every year, and the 2021 vintage has forced us to make a historically fine selection. Carruades inherits the Merlot grapes from our great terroirs on the south-eastern plateau at the entrance to the Grand Vin. The backbone of the Carruades style this year, the complants* from our finest plots also stood out, revealing that, even when young, vines planted in a great terroir learn quickly, all the more so this year with the return of a more temperate vintage. Let's hope that the ageing trials we've been carrying out at Carruades over the last few years will enable us to go even further in developing this graceful profile.
*Young vines ringed within each plot and picked separately.

Location
Pauillac is located on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, approximately 40km North of Bordeaux. With the tempering influence of the estuary and a great diversity of soils originated from both the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac boasts exceptional climatic and geological conditions to make outstanding wines.

Terroir
Chateau Lafite Rothschild is located to the North of the Pauillac appellation, bordering Saint-Estèphe. The vineyard consists of three main areas : the hillsides around the Château, the adjacent Carruades plateau to the west, and 4.5 hectares in Saint Estèphe appellation. The vineyard covers 112 hectares with soil made up of fine deep gravel, mixed with aeolian sand on a subsoil of tertiary limestone. It is well-drained and benefits from optimal sun exposure.

Winemaking
Carruades de Lafite is made according to the traditional Bordeaux method. Alcoholic fermentation is conducted in wooden, concrete and stainless steel vats. Gentle pumping-over helps to ensure a soft extraction and is carried out according to the specific characteristics of each tank. Total maceration time lasts for about 20 days.
After malolactic fermentation, wines are transfered into French oak barrels made by the Tonnelleries des Domaines in Pauillac for a period of 16 months approximately.

Grapes
55 % Cabernet sauvignon
36 % Merlot
5 % Cabernet franc
4 % Petit verdot

Tasting
Bright red color.
Complex, ripe nose. Fresh maturity, exhaling blackberry and blackcurrant.
An energetic attack quickly gives way to a dense, voluminous palate. The tannins are powerful, but never aggressive. The wine then takes us to a long, still tight, but harmonious finish. A wine that is waiting to open up in 4 to 5 years.