Carruades de Lafite 2019

The vintage

The vintage got off to a fine start with a mild winter and dry. The fine weather continued into early spring, resulting in an early vegetative start.

In April and May, colder-than-usual weather, and especially Sec, slowed vegetation growth, which soon lost its lead. The first flowers appear in our Pauillac vines on May 28. This key stage in the cycle was somewhat capricious, with rainy spells arriving in the second half of flowering, leading to some coulure and millerandage.

In June, after a rainy and cool start, the weather took a turn for the worse with the arrival of a heatwave at the beginning of the summer, the likes of which had not been seen since 2003. Fortunately, it was short-lived, and the vines, which were catching up, seemed better equipped to cope with the heat than in previous years.

The miracle of water arrived on July 26: 45 millimetres fell at Pauillac, perfect for triggering veraison.

August's temperatures remained very cautious, with no heat spike and a few scattered showers, giving rise for a moment to fears of botrytis, but the drier end of the month, which lasted until mid-September, enabled us to begin a serene harvest.

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 plateau des Carruades to the west and a 4.5-hectare 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. These 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

Deep, dark color. The nose is characteristic of this vintage, both ripe and fresh, with notes of blackcurrant and black fruit. On the palate, the attack is direct, then the wine gains amplitude to express its full volume. The tannins are fine and precise. The high percentage of Cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon (68%) and Cabernet Franc (5%), gives great tension throughout the finish. This is a rich Carruades with excellent cellaring potential, which will certainly open up within 6 to 8 years.