2017 Carruades de Lafite (Pauillac)

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 deuxieme vin, but I appreciate the precision and the brightness towards the finish. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 89-91 points

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. 91 points

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep crimson. More lifted and fragrant than the Duhart-Milon just tasted. Dark-red fruit and graphite freshness. Richer and sweeter fruited on the mid palate than the Duhart, a little more generous. Very soft texture but not lacking backgrounded structure. Elegant, and an attractive minerally, dark-fruited finish. Subtle. Understated. 16.5 points

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. 90-92 points