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It's impossible to talk about the great wines of the Médoc without mentioning Château Lafite-Rothschild. A Domaine steeped in history, whose reputation and prestige are matched only by the legendary wines born there.
Ancient medieval seigneury, it was under Jacques de Ségur, from a family of Bordeaux parliamentarians, that the first vines were planted in the 1670's. The wine gradually acquired an excellent reputation thanks to technical progress, at the royal court of Versailles but also across the Channel with the expansion of trade with England. Then in 1787, Thomas Jefferson, US ambassador to France at the time, praised it in his travel notes.
The Château Lafite was promoted to the rank of Ier Grand Cru Classé in 1855 on the occasion of the Paris Universal Exhibition, a distinction it shares with the Château Latour, Château Haut-Brion and Château Margaux, as well as the Château Mouton Rothschild since 1973.
The subsequent rise of Château Lafite owes much to the Rothschild family, with Baron James de Rothschild acquiring the estate in 1868 and attaching his name to it from that date. When Baron Eric took over the reins in 1974, everything was gradually put in place with the aim of modernizing and improving performance, in order to reveal the exceptional potential of the terroir. Today, his... See more ...
The vintage
2016 stands out at Bordeaux for its climatic homogeneity, making it a qualitative vintage for the entire region. After budburst on dates close to normal, spring was rather rainy and cool. June was particularly gloomy and cold, but flowering nevertheless took place in good conditions. Summer was hot and very Sec, almost too Sec at the beginning of September, as it was possible to perceive that ripening was sometimes blocked due to stress.
In these conditions, Lafite's great terroirs behaved perfectly, allowing us to await the saving rains of September 13 without too much concern. Ripening was then able to be completed in the best possible conditions, reaching levels of Rare.
Situation
The Pauillac appellation is located on the Rive gauche of the Gironde estuary, some 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
Carruades de Lafite is made according to the traditional winemaking methods of Bordeaux. Alcoholic fermentation is carried out in wood, cement and stainless steel vats. Light pumping-over helps to Extra extract tannins and color. They are carried out according to the characteristics of each vat. Total maceration time is approximately 20 days.
Following malolactic fermentation, the wines are filled into French oak barrels made by Tonnellerie des Domaines to Pauillac for a maturation period of around 16 months.
Tasting
Beautiful dark red and violet color. The nose is very charming, with notes of red fruit dominated by cherry. Tobacco notes can also be detected, which is quite surprising at this stage of ageing. On the palate, the wine quickly asserts itself, as is often the case with Carruades due to its proportion of Merlot. It quickly reaches fullness on the palate, revealing a beautiful harmony. The complementarity of the 4 grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, is perfect, with a structured, highly pleasing length. The finish unfolds with slightly salty, noble mineral notes.
Optimum 10-15 years or more.
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