Carruades de Lafite
⏳ Drinking Window
2015 - 2045
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb, grilled ribeye steak, roasted duck
✨ Technical Specifications
Carruades de Lafite takes its name from the Carruades plateau, a group of plots adjacent to the château's main hill, acquired by Château Lafite in 1845. This second wine, which has been produced under various names since the mid-19th century (originally Moulin des Carruades), offers a softer, more approachable introduction to the Lafite style. It features a higher proportion of Merlot than the Grand Vin, lending it a rounder, more supple texture while still retaining the signature Pauillac elegance, refined cedar notes, and structured tannins. The grapes are harvested from the same historic terroir of deep gravel over limestone and aged in custom French oak barrels from the estate's own cooperage.
🍾 About the Producer
Château Lafite Rothschild stands as an archetype of Médoc nobility and timeless viticultural refinement. With recorded feudal roots tracing to 1234 and extensive plantings established around 1680 by Jacques de Ségur, the estate rose to global renown when Baron James de Rothschild acquired it in 1868. Perched on Pauillac's highest gravel plateau bordering Saint-Estèphe, the vineyard spans deep, well-draining Günzian gravel over tertiary limestone and marl subsoils, buffered by the maritime influence of the Gironde estuary. Under the modern leadership of Saskia de Rothschild and Technical Director Eric Kohler, Lafite transitioned entirely to certified organic farming. The estate's cellar program balances parcel-by-parcel fermentation with aging in barrels crafted at its on-site cooperage. The eponymous Grand Vin, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with measured proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, alongside second wine Carruades de Lafite, offers a benchmark profile defined by graphite, cedar, and exquisite aromatic finesse.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon 50-70%, Merlot 30-45%, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot 0-5%
🍷 ABV
13-13.5%