CARRUADES DE CHÂTEAU LAFITE
2021 Pauillac
The Carruades this year was a pleasure to taste. Dark and brooding with a delightfully juicy feel. There is a good frame here, a Lafite-like tautness at the core, but the tannins are supple and easy. All round, its a surprisingly generous style for Carruades. Very suave, with real push and easy glide. Fresh lift to the finish speaks of this grand terroir. Much of the fruit, particularly the Merlot, would normally make it to the Grand Vin. Declassified this year to Carruades, it really bolsters the mid palate. Definitely a Lafite wine, but with a shade less graphite and firmness than in some years. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot 36%, Petit Verdot 4%, Cabernet Franc 5%.L&S (May 2022)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 36 Merlot, 5 Cabernet Franc, 4 Petit Verdot | 12.9% alc. This is a focussed, superbly clean and refined Carruades and the sleek lines and narrower chassis make it incredibly refreshing and balanced. The Cabernet dominance is apparent only on the nose because the palate is a perfect assemblage of the quartet of ingredients. The colour is definitely on the red, as opposed to the black, side of the fence. I am slow to the Carruades party, but as the years tick by and I taste this wine more regularly, I sense that something very special is happening. In 2021 this finely-tuned creature developed a genuine sense of poise and grandeur, which is reflected in my score.Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2022)
Soft and attractive character to this wine, showing a polished-tannin frame and a juicy center-palate. Medium body with medium, velvety tannins. Juicy. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 36% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Carruades de Lafite is a classic blend built around 55% Cabernet Sauvignon. Eric Kohler commended the quality of the Cabernet Franc this year, which after being considered for the Grand Vin, in the end found itself being blended into the Deuxième Vin. This year it represents 40% of the total volume. It has a fragrant bouquet with blackberry, briar, pencil shavings and a touch of black olive. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins. Quite an insistent grip here with plenty of sapidity towards the finish. A bit of chewiness on the close, but overall, a very decent Carruades. Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
A ton of concentration and hidden power, this is a Carruades that is very Lafite in style, subtle with pencil lead, slate, Pauillac signature, intense but with clear austerity, touches of fennel, rosebud and dried leaf. Mouthwatering, with plenty to get hold of. Has the focus and tunnel vision of Lafite and needs time in bottle, should be at its peak within 10 to 15 years. 1st year organic conversion. 40% of overall production, 34hl/h yields. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Carruades de Lafite is a dark, brooding wine. Dense and plush, with quite a bit of tannin presence, Carruades is quite distinctive in 2021. Blue/purplish fruit and floral notes show tremendous primary intensity. Bright acids on the finish add an attractive sense of freshness that is quite appealing. The 2021 is a serious Carruades. Drinking range: 2026 - 2041 Rating: 91-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
A strong effort that demonstrates how much progress this bottling has made over the last 10 to 15 years, the 2021 Carruades de Lafite exhibits aromas of sweet berries, pencil shavings, warm spices and nicely integrated oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively intense, it's seamless and refined, delivering plenty of Lafite character. Rating: 90-92 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2022)
Château Lafite
1855 classification - Premier Grand Cru Classé The long history of Château Lafite includes a period in the 17th and 18th century when it was owned by the Ségur family, who also at the time owned Latour and who's name lives on at Calon-Ségur and Phelan-Ségur. By the time of the 1855 classification which rightly recognised the reputation of Lafite, the estate was under a complicated ownership arrangement which inevitably unravelled, and Lafite was sold to Baron James de Rothschild, largely it would seem to keep uo with his cousin Nathaniel Rothschild who had recently purchased Brane-Mouton (later to become Mouton Rothschild). He died a couple of months later, but his descendents own the estate to this day. Baron Eric, who took control during the 1970's, returned Lafite to its rightful place at the top of the Bordeaux hierarchy with a programme of investment, improvement and modernisation. There are 103ha of land under vine at Lafite, facing Cos d'Estournel across the Jalle du Breuil which marks the border between Pauillac and Saint Estèphe. Indeed, Lafite own a small parcel of vines over the border in Saint Estèphe. Just over 70% is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon with 25% Merlot and smaller portions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Vines for the grand vin average around 40 years old with none less than 10. Wines are aged in barrels from their own cooperage for aound 18 months. The second wine is Carruades de Lafite which usually features a higher proportion of Merlot in the cuvée.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.