Carruades de Lafite 2017 (750ML)

90-92 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Carruades de Lafite is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc and opens with expressive notes of espresso and dark chocolate over a core of cassis, wood smoke and tilled soil plus touches of truffles and black olives. Medium-bodied, very fine-grained and refreshing, it has great poise and a long, savory finish." 4/2018

89-91 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous: "The 2017 Carruades de Lafite has a fine, quite pure bouquet, perhaps showing a little more fruit concentration than the Duhart-Milon at this stage. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, oyster shell and a touch of black pepper. There is not an enormous depth to this wine, after all it is a deuxième vin, but I appreciate the precision and the brightness towards the finish. Tasted twice with consistent notes." 4/2018

90-93 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous: "The 2017 Carruades de Lafite is quite deep and fleshy at the outset. Black cherry, plum, lavender and rose petal are pushed forward in this dark, racy second wine from Lafite-Rothschild. Deep, textured and beautifully resonant, the 2017 has a lot to recommend it. This is a strong showing. In 2017, Carruades is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Like many of his colleagues, Technical Director Eric Kolher opted for gentle extractions and incorporated a relatively high amount of press wine (14%) into the blend. In 2017, the Carruades is a gorgeous second wine." 5/2018

92-93 Points, James Suckling: "A bright Carruades with cedar and tobacco character. Medium to full body and medium chewy tannins. Very pretty center palate." 8/17

92 Points, Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast: "A classic blend with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, this is richly structured and well concentrated. It's dark black fruit notes give both depth and a juicy character to match the structure" 4/2018

91 Points, Jane Anson, Decanter: "Lafite got to enjoy a year without excess and without frost, and this is elegant stuff. The tannins are a touch rigid at the beginning, supporting firm black autumnal fruits, classically framed and a touch austere, with cigar box smoke adding a swirl of complexity. As with many of the second wines in Pauillac this year, this is excellently put together but on the savoury side, reflecting the story of the vintage. 20% new oak. This is sure to age well and be ready to drink within four to eight years." 4/2018

91-93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com: "The second wine of the estate is certainly no slouch in the vintage either. The 2017 Carruades de Lafite offers a similar perfume of cassis, scorched earth and lead pencil shavings, and is medium-bodied, seamless, and silky on the palate. As with the Grand Vin, the tannin quality is terrific, it's perfectly balanced, and shines for its purity of fruit." 4/2018