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Carruades de Lafite 2010

Pauillac, Second wine

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  • GBP Price: £3300.00  per Case
  • Action: [Add to shopping basket]
  • Size: Bottle (75cl)
  • Quantities:3  Cases -  0  Bottle
  • Units: 36
Scores:
Wine Advocate Wine Spectator Burghound Jancis Robinson.com International Wine Cellar
91 - 94 93 - 96 - 17 - 18 87 - 90
Tasting Notes:

Composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot and a dollop of Cabernet Franc, the beautiful 2010 Carruades de Lafite may turn out to be one of the finest yet produced (although I still have a weakness for the brilliant 2003, which is drinking beautifully at present). Notes of charcoal, black currants, sweet cherries, licorice, herbs and cedar are all present in this full-bodied, opulent, stunning second wine. It will be drinkable upon release and should last for 20 or more years.

Score: 91 - 94 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Remarkably tight, offering black currant and sanguine notes laced with sandalwood and roasted fig. This is also tight-grained on the finish and is really long, with the acidity just going on and on. Only 10 percent new oak. Tasted non-blind.

Score: 93 - 96 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Mid crimson without great colour intensity. Very savoury and glossy. Immediate polish on the nose here. Raspberries and tar. Great intensity and fluidity. Really this is SO much better than it used to be. Very fine wine by any measure. Bone dry. Minerals and chew on the end but no rustic tannins. Very fine and long. It is admirable that Charles Chevalier puts so much effort into this wine which, although admittedly it is expensive, could be sold several times over in China whatever it tasted like.

Score: 17 - 18 Jancis Robinson MW, Jancisrobinson.com Maturity: 2018-2030

Deep ruby-purple. Highly perfumed, enticing nose offers spicy blackcurrant, violet and minerals. Fresh and sweet in the mouth, with almost syrupy blackberry, plum and saline flavors showing plenty of flesh without any undue heaviness. Nice floral persistence on the slightly simple, sweet, very accessible finish. Though the tannins are youthfully chewy, there is none of the astringency displayed by many merlot-rich 2010 wines. When I mentioned to technical director Charles Chevalier that I loved this wine's dainty, smooth personality, he pointed out that most of the grapes used to make Carruades come from vines planted on soils with a higher percentage of clay, which partly explains why this merlot-rich wine doesn't show astringent tannins.

Score: 87 - 90 Ian D'Agata, International Wine Cellar

Fine fragrance and elegance over layers of complexity, perfect harmony, Pauillac at its most refined.

Score: 17 - 18 Decanter, Decanter.com Maturity: 2016-2026

Incredible smoke, currants and blackberries. Spices too. Full bodied, with ultra-polished tannins and blackberries, blueberries and minerals. Orange peel too. Best Carruades ever.

Score: 95 - 96 James Suckling, 'Wines of the Rhone Valley'

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42.5% Merlot, 2.4% Petit Verdot and 5.1% Cabernet Franc, the Carruades has moderate intensity on the nose with scents of blackberry leaf, briary, a touch of cedar and some tobacco notes. The palate is a little disjointed at the moment, the tannins accentuated and a little aggressive at first, some pleasant mulberry and dark plum/cedar accents towards the finish but missing the harmony that anticipated. Tasted March 2011.

Score: 88 - 90 Neal Martin, erobertparker.com

Dark ruby purple. Aromatic with a hint of lead. Lovely textured. A hint of green on the back but super-fruity and lots of fruit punch and typicity. Lively.

Score: 91 - 93 Albany Vintners