2016 Carruades de Lafite

The most tannic and textured Carruades ever. Full-bodied, big and powerful. Very, very long. New style? Mar 2017, www.jamessuckling.com

This second wine of Lafite is 25% of their production. Velvety tannins coalesce with the black plum and berry fruits. It is juicy and perfumed, with notes of spice and dark fruits as well as intense final acidity. It should age well over the medium term. Apr 2017, Roger Voss, www.wineenthusiast.com

This is a rich, deep, elegant and well structured Carruades, clearly better than the 2015 and 2014, a great success in this vintage. Lafite have increased the percentage of third wine, so in this vintage 35% of the production went into Carruades and 40% into the grand vin. The blend is 49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Apr 2017, www.decanter.com, Drink: 2027-2050

2016 Carruades de Lafite – The wine was made from a blend of 49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.5% Cabernet Franc and 0.2% Petit Verdot, producing a showcase for sweet, ripe fruits, freshness with elegant tannins in a forward style. Apr 2017, www.thewinecellarinsider.com

A blend of 49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Carruades de Lafite opens with expressive baked plums, Morello cherries and blackcurrant cordial scents with touches of stewed tea, bay leaves and tilled soil plus a waft of tree bark. Medium-bodied with a great mid-palate core of red and black fruits, it has a solid, grainy frame and compelling freshness, finishing long and minerally. Nov 2018, www.robertparker.com

The 2016 Carruades de Lafite is a sexy wine. Inviting scents of ripe black cherry, plum, smoke, torrefaction and mocha set the stage nicely. Deep and textured on the palate, yet also light on its feet, the 2016 exhibits terrific balance and striking purity in its fruit. I especially like the way the fruit fans out to cover every inch of the palate on the finish. This is impressive stuff. Apr 2017, www.vinous.com

49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. There's a putty note on the nose. Neat, restrained, rather tight nose and a tad mean on the end. Just as there's a big gap between Petit Mouton and the grand vin, so there seems to be between Carruades and Lafite. Drying tannins on the end. Seems to be a lack of phenolic ripeness towards the end of the palate experience even though it starts out pretty ripe and round.  Apr 2017, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 2024-2038

The 2016 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot this year that matured in around 20-25% new oak. Eric Kohler told me that they now practice more selection for the Carruades and in this respect, the great fruit concentration means that he has just tweaked the level of new oak upwards. It has an attractive bouquet with smoke and tobacco infused black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin. This is a linear and conservative Carruades, one without the frills, almost economical but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is fresh and focused, demonstrating more ripeness than previous vintages, and has a little more length. Drink it over the next decade. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2020-2035