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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
The vintage is so early that we've been preparing all year for harvesting as early as the end of August! As Carruades is largely made from the youngest vines, promised one day to Lafite, the storms after veraison are a godsend: thanks to them, we won't see any signs of grape exhaustion, sometimes encountered in previous years. In 2020, Carruades
benefits from the presence of our great Merlot parcels such as Grande Horte, Barat, GanDeau in its blend. These are our hope parcels, which we prepare every year to reach Lafite... and which flourish in Carruades while waiting their turn. With 42% Merlot, the vintage marks a return to a high percentage of Merlot in Carruades.
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 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
La robe du Carruades is an intense, brilliant carmine red.
Initially discreet, the nose quickly reveals aromas of redcurrants and raspberries, supported by subtle menthol and licorice notes.
The attack on the palate is silky with great finesse, surprisingly fresh for a solar vintage. Beautiful, dense tannic structure throughout, with a finish that's still discreet but full of promise.
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