2012 Carruades de Lafite, Pauillac, Bordeaux

The second wine, the 2012 Carruades de Lafite is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Soft, round, accessible and delicious, but uninspiring, it possesses a dark ruby/plum color, medium body and hints of lead pencil shavings intermixed with red and black currants and vanillin. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. Charles Chevalier was candid in saying that the tropical heat wave, along with the poor flowering resulted in intense labor in the vineyard and during the harvest where triage was the operative word, and had to be done thoroughly and consistently. The 2012 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Merlot and 0.5% Petit Verdot, was the result of a harvest that took place between September 28 and October 9 for the Merlot, October 9-16 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The small amount of Cabernet Franc included in the Carruades de Lafite was harvested on October 11 - 12. Only 38% of the production made it into the grand vin. If the 2012 fills out completely it could turn out similar to the 1998 Lafite. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2013

Offers a smoky, fleshy feel, with dark plum, charcoal and coffee notes. Features nice grip on the finish, revealing a lingering plum skin feel. Tasted non-blind. james_molesworth, Wine Spectator, April 8 2013

The 2012 Carruades de Lafite is friendly, open and quite expressive. Sweet tobacco, cedar, mint, dried cherries and herbs open up in a mid-weight, fleshy red to drink over the next decade or so. The 2012 is soft, silky and easygoing.antonio_galloni, Vinous.com.com (January 2016)

The 2012 Carruades de Lafite has quite a perfumed and floral bouquet, pencil shaving and tobacco scents filtering through the brambly red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, lighter than the Le Petit Mouton tasted alongside and just a little conservative on the finish. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting.Drink 2022 - 2030Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (September 2022)

Perfumed and pretty aromas of blackcurrants, mineral and stones. Full body, very structured and intense. Tannic and muscular. Serious. Better in 2020james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (February 2015)

Ideal with a 2-hour carafe.Finesse and savoury black fruits and mint leaf with gentle rosemary. It has a quiet concentration, together with layers of graphite, and slate, and a mouthwatering finish. Both quiet and yet powerful, it gives an insight into what makes Lafite so singular, and that is all you can really ask of a 2nd wine. Interesting also how it differs from Petit Mouton, such a brilliant distillation of the difference between the two estates.Drink 2022 - 2034jane_anson_mw, janeanson_com (March 2022)

A very good second wine from Lafite Rothschild, the 2012 Carruades de Lafite (53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) shows dark ruby/plum/purple color, cedar wood, blackcurrants, medium-bodied, ripe tannin and a nice textured mouthfeel. It is very attractive, soft and ideal for drinking over the next 15 or more years.Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 30/04/2015

Floral nose with lifted elegance, just a hint of greenness, but elegance to come.

53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Rather a blueish tint. It is extraordinary how refined the Lafite wines are, even in this difficult year. One whiff of this and it's Lafite stable stuff. Albeit it very light and pale with quite strong acidity. Firm and fine. Bone-dry finish. No concessions. I think this will probably always be a tad demanding to drink but it's certainly trying hard to make as good a fist of it as possible. jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com, 24 Apr 2013