2016 Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac, Bottle (750ml)

LP94 "2016 Carruades de Lafite is a blend of 49% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot and has a deep garnet color. It needs a little swirling to release notes of warm blackcurrants, blackberry preserves, and kirsch, followed by hints of cast iron pan, cardamom, and mossy tree bark. Medium-bodied, the palate has a fleshy core of ripe black fruits with fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with lovely purity." LPB for TWI Dec 2022

JD94 "While few people get excited about second wines, the reality today is that the top estates are making such a strict selection that their second wines are unquestionably equivalent to the grand vins of a few decades ago. Case in point: the 2016 Carruades de Lafite, a brilliant wine that stands up with the top wines in Pauillac. Offering a medium to full-bodied, seamless, incredibly pure style as well as classy black cherry fruits, graphite, licorice, and dried earth, it’s impeccably balanced, has no hard edges, and is already hard to resist. Drink it any time over the coming 20-25 years." JD Feb 2019