Carruades de Lafite 2002

The vintage

After an early bud-break due to a warm winter (Sec), the relatively cold and rainy weather during flowering led to coulure and millerandage. From the beginning of June, the harvest was expected to be small in quantity.

The cool months of July and August confirmed the average climatic conditions at the start of the year, but conditions became exceptional as harvest approached, with a superb month of September: sunny, dry, with a north-easterly wind, which accelerated the ripening process.

Harvesting took place in glorious sunshine, allowing us to wait serenely for the grapes to reach full ripeness. The Merlots were harvested between September 26th and October 1st, followed by the superb Cabernet Francs, then the Cabernet Sauvignons until October 8th and, finally, the Petits Verdots.

The millerandage zones were harvested separately. In all vineyards affected to a greater or lesser extent by coulure and millerandage, final yields are relatively low (15 to 30% less in overall volume).

Situation

The Pauillac appellation is located on the Rive gauche of the Gironde estuary, around 40 km north of Bordeaux. Benefiting from the influence of the estuary and a great diversity of soils originating from the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, Pauillac combines exceptional climatic and geological conditions to produce great wines.

Terroir

Château Lafite Rothschild is located to the north of the Pauillac appellation, on the edge of Saint-Estèphe. The vineyard comprises three main areas: the slopes around Château, the Carruades plateau to the west and a 4.5 ha parcel in the Saint-Estèphe appellation. The surface area is 112 ha and the soils are made up of fine, deep, well-drained, well-exposed gravel mixed with Aeolian sands on a tertiary limestone subsoil.

Winemaking

The year's particular conditions put our oenologists to the test. Fermentative evolutions were often at odds with the analyses, allowing us to rebalance musts that bore the scars of the heat wave (lower-than-normal tannin potential and low acidity). But natural balance took over again, and at tasting, at the end of malolactic, the wines were healthy, balanced and even quite lively.

Tasting

Open, heady, expressive nose of ripe red fruit, dominated by Merlot. Round, full-bodied and ample on the palate, with a slightly bitter finish and good acidity to support the tannin.