Carruades de Lafite 2016

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

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.

robert_parker91

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

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.

vinous92

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2016 Carruades de Lafite is soft, gentle and caressing, with silky tannins and a sweet, perfumed bouquet that gives the wine its sensual, inviting personality. Medium in body and gracious, the Carruades will be easy to drink and enjoy upon release. Sweet red cherry, plum, spice and floral notes are all laced together in this exquisite Pauillac. In 2016, the Carruades has a bit more Merlot than is typically the case.

vinous90

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2016 Carruades de Lafite has a richer, more opulent bouquet compared to its peers, featuring intense blackberry, boysenberry and cassis fruit, if perhaps not displaying the precision of other Pauillacs. The medium-bodied palate is not quite as luxurious as the aromatics, displaying supple tannins and a slightly powdery texture. There’s good depth here and fine acidity, plus plenty of black pepper toward the finish. Fine. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

vinous90

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2016 Carruades de Lafite contains more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a tightly wound bouquet featuring tightly coiled black fruit and hints of brine and sea spray. I appreciate the aromatics, but it needs a little more intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. This is very well balanced, with gentle grip, and very pure in the mouth, offering blackberry, bilberry and a touch of white pepper toward the quite persistent finish. Very fine.

vinous92

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2016 Carruades de Lafite is soft, gentle and caressing, with silky tannins and a sweet, perfumed bouquet that gives the wine its sensual, inviting personality. Medium in body and gracious, the Carruades will be easy to drink and enjoy upon release. Sweet red cherry, plum, spice and floral notes are all laced together in this exquisite Pauillac. In 2016, the Carruades has a bit more Merlot than is typically the case.