Chateau Lafite Rothschild - Carruades de Lafite 2015

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This second wine of Lafite comes from young vines and wines selected during the blending. The result is a wine with the structure and nobility of the Lafite character but one that will age more quickly. It has great layers of black-currant fruits and acidity, with firm tannins as a background and rich potential. Drink from 2025."

JEB DUNNUCK: "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."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes Purpur. Warm ausstrahlendes Bouquet, mit Noten von reifen Pflaumen, dann Schwarzteenoten, dunkle Hölzer, dabei schon recht zugänglich. Im Gaumen mittelgewichtig, mit würzigem Extrakt, nicht besonders fleischig und auch nicht besonders konzentriert. Dafür wird das ein gefälliger Pauillac mit gastronomischem Flair."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc gives the 2015 Carruades de Lafite a medium to deep garnet color. It delivers evolving scents of stewed black plums, black and red currant preserves, and tobacco leaf, plus suggestions of dusty soil, dried Provencal herbs, and graphite. Light-bodied, the palate has a racy backbone injecting energy into the elegant mineral and earthy layers, with a grainy texture and a lifted finish."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Medium-bodied, forward, fresh, elegant and refined, you can always find secondary development with its tobacco, herb and herbal nuances. The fruits show sweet ripe, red berries with good purity, You can always enjoy this soft, elegant Pauillac."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Warm plum, fig and black tea notes mix here, with a charcoal frame and a smoldering tobacco accent running through the finish. The velvety and slightly rugged textures are intertwined, showing a nice tug of earth at the end. Best from 2022 through 2030. 20,000 cases made."

DECANTER: "Well knitted together, this is a Carruades that has intensity but remains approachable, with a well fleshed out structure. It really opens up in the glass, an extremely pretty wine that manages delicacy, freshness and energy without losing the Pauillac punch. The relatively low alcohol makes this seem balanced and drinkable even at this young age. 30% of overall estate production. Bottled May 2017."