2018 Carruades de Lafite

Carruades de Lafite is the second label of Lafite Rothschild, meaning that the wine is made by Chateau Lafite Rothschild, in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux. The name Carruades comes from a plateau of vineyard parcels purchased in 1845 by Chateau Lafite. Carruades contains a higher percentage of Merlot than the First Growth Lafite Rothschild. Carruades is 50 – 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 - 50% Merlot, and up to 5% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. About 20,000 cases are produced annually.

Pauillac is Bordeaux’s most famous appellation, thanks to the fact that it is home to three of the region’s fabled first-growth châteaux, Lafite-Rothschild, Mouton-Rothschild and Latour. Perched on the left bank of the Gironde River north of the city of Bordeaux, Pauillac is centered around the commune of Pauillac and includes about 3,000 acres of vineyards. The Bordeaux classification of 1855 named 18 classified growths, including the three above mentioned First Growths. Cabernet Sauvignon is the principal grape grown, followed by Merlot. The soil is mostly sandy gravel mixed with marl and iron. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “the textbook Pauillac would tend to have a rich, full-bodied texture, a distinctive bouquet of black currants, licorice and cedary scents, and excellent aging potential.”

This is a second label of Château Lafite-Rothschild