2018 Château Lafite Rothschild Carruades de Lafite
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| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | |
| Appellation | |
| Winery | |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Grape | |
| Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (13%) |
| Drink window | 2023 - 2043 |
Description
The Carruades de Lafite is the second wine from Château Lafite Rothschild and has similar characteristics to the Grand Vin, but with its own personality linked to a higher proportion of Merlot and to specific plots used to produce Carruades. The name comes from the Carruades Plateau, a group of plots acquired in 1845 just next to the hilltop vines of the Château.
2018 proved to be difficult but turned out to be great, Lafite's technical director Eric Kohler told Robert Parker, barely able to contain his excitement about this year. “The finish of this vintage was so perfect in terms of maturation!” “It started out really wet – more wet than rainy,” Kohler continued. “On the right bank and Sauternes they received more rain. Same with Margaux. There was a lot of mold pressure. Here in Lafite the mildew pressure was lower than on the Right Bank or Sauternes. We lost less than 5% here. They are close to organic with our agriculture, but not quite. The Carruades de Lafite 2018 is composed of 56.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 5.5% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot was harvested from September 17 to 24, the Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from September 25 to October 5 and the Cabernet Franc was harvested from September 24.
From mid-July it became very dry and very hot. This was the hottest summer since 2003. Obviously it was not as extreme as 2003. Therefore the potential of the terroir was very important. What makes great terroir? It is a terroir that can compensate for the excesses of the vintage. The terroir must have the ability to behave like a sponge: retain or give water. The clay sponge we have at Lafite regulated the excess of the vintage. This year, instead of the humid wind from the west, we got a dry wind from the northeast. So there was no risk of botrytis when harvest approached. 2016 and 2018 are like two brothers: the former easier to manage, the latter more problems and potential excess, but ultimately very wonderful.”
Kohler also noted: "Duhart-Milon doesn't have the clay/water holding capacity of Lafite, but a little rain in late August/early September helped the vineyard come through. The Merlot performed very well - Duhart-Milon might have A better terroir for Merlot than Lafite is very lush this year. For the dry white wines it was a very hot summer and so the dry white wines may not be as aromatic."
Specifications
| Type of Wine | Red |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Appellation | Pauillac |
| Winery | Chateau Lafite Rothschild |
| Grape | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Drinking as of | 2023 |
| Drinking till | 2043 |
| Alcohol % | 13 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Parker rating | 91 |
| James Suckling rating | 97 |
| Vinous rating | 93 |
| Tasting Profiles | Complex, Dark fruit, Dry, Aged on wood, Powerful, Mineral, Tannines |
| Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe, Open haard |
Wijnhuis
The vineyard of Château Lafite Rothschild consists of three main areas: The slopes around the Château, the Carruades plateau to the west and a 4.5 hectare site in Saint-Estèphe. Its area is 112 hectares. The soil consists of fine, deeply ground mixed with windblown sand on a well-drained and well-incorporated tertiary limestone subsoil. The grape varieties grown here are Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Here the first stones were laid, the winegrowers' houses were built and prepared for something unusual to happen. As the years passed, the house overlooking this hill got bigger and a wisteria vine climbed the walls of generations of families to see how preserving this ecosystem has always been the ultimate priority. 150 years ago, Baroness Betty, wife of Baron James, planted the huge oak trees that separate our vineyard from the marshes. They, their children and grandchildren, the families of winegrowers die with them, work conscientiously to protect this impeccable creation that has been bequeathed to nature. They have taken great care to preserve this microcosm of forests and marshes, flora and fauna amidst the vines of Château Lafite Rothschild thrive in this almost wild osmosis.
As the ultimate witness to this protected land, some of the vines still gracefully show off their 140 years of ungrafted life. They escaped the phylloxera which, however, spared no one else! This infallible part of the vines continues to elude the winegrowers, the same ones who form, protect and nurture it, from one harvest year to the next, trying to refine this perfect composition that amazes them time and time again. It may not be a coincidence, of course, that Lafite earned the title of "First of the First" at Napoleon III's World's Fair. Nor will it be a coincidence, if others will speak of it long after us… Each barrel is tasted individually and only the best is selected for the final blend. After blending, the wine matures for 15 months in new oak barrels. Fermentation takes place for 15 days at a controlled temperature of 18°C. Only vines older than 10 years are used for the Grand Vin Château Lafite Rothschild. While each vintage is unique, there is usually a large portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, then Merlot, with a small contribution of Petit Verdot.
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