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Carruades de Lafite (2nd wine of Ch Lafite) 2003

Pauillac, Second wine

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Tasting Notes

Tasted blind at Farr Vintner’s Left Bank tasting. This has a very expressive, quite floral, Margaux-like nose with fine delineation: blackberry, pencil shavings and smoke. The palate displays a little hardness on the entry, firm backbone here; the fruit not quite in synch with the rest of the wine and jutting out on the finish. Tasted October 2010.

Score: 87

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 01 March 2011

Glowing crimson. Sweet biscuit/toasty oaky nose. Rather specious appeal. Sweet but drying tannins.

Score: 16

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2008-2014 13 October 2010

Red-ruby. Expressive aromas of currant, leather, game and tobacco, with a whiff of band-aid. Sweet and smooth on entry, then a bit green and dry-edged in the middle palate, with notes of tobacco, leather and meat. Seems dryer in bottle, and far less primary, than the sample I tasted in the spring of 2004.

Score: 88

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 01 May 2006

A spectacular value as well as a sleeper of the vintage is the 135,000-bottle cuvee of 2003 Carruades de Lafite (50% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc). This amazing effort rivals such superb second wines as the 1989 Bahans-Haut-Brion and 1982 Forts de Latour. A serious red, it is sexy, opulent, rich, and luscious with silky tannin, enormous body, and wave after wave of mocha-infused black cherry and cassis fruit. It is almost too good to be believed. While drinkable now, it should evolve for 12-15 years or longer.

Score: 93

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2006-2021 30 April 2006

Aromas of sweet tobacco, berry and chocolate follow through to a full-bodied palate, with silky tannins and a medium finish. Slightly hollow midpalate but very nicely done. Second wine of Lafite. Best after 2007. 20,000 cases made.

Score: 89

James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2007+ 31 March 2006