Chateau Lafite Second Wine - Carruades de Lafite,Hong Kong Carraudes de Lafite price supplier

Name   of Chateau		Chateau Lafite
Name of Wine		Carraudes de Lafite
Appellation		A.O.C. Pauillac
Varieties		Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlo (39%) and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Volume		75 cl
Packing		Bottle (6 bottle per Wood Box)
Weight		1.4 kg
Alcohol		13.5%
Wine   Tasting Note		The 2011 Carruades de Lafite is composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Soft berry fruit, underbrush, fresh herb and bay leaf characteristics as well as soft tannins, a velvety texture, and a medium bodied, slightly superficial, but satisfying style suggest this 2011 should be consumed over the next 10-15 years. ~~ Robert Parker (97-89 marks)

 

 

 

The Spirit of "WineBibber International Enterprise"

 

We encompasse all of the producers of the twenty communes of the appellation. Our goal is to increase the value added by the recognition quality of wines and the development of the notoriety of the AOC in Bordeaux. Today,we want to be a place for exchange and reflection which allows you to do live and evolve the appellation. It opens, mainly by its technical actions, landscape and promotional work, to the strengthening of its position of thought.

 

 

 

Information about the "Chateau Lafite Rothschild" 

 

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is known for producing what many people think is the best Bordeaux wine in the appellation. It’s also thought of as one of the most famous, as well as expensive wines in the world. Lafite Rothschild has a long and interesting history dating back to 1234! Even though the property was not in the Bordeaux wine business at that time. it is thought that vines were already planted on the unique terroir. The owner of the estate at the time, Gombaud de Lafite left his mark. Almost 1,000 years after he owned it, the chateau is still named after him!

 

As we mentioned, while vines were probably in existence at Lafite, it was not until around 1680, that the majority of the vineyards of what we know of as Lafite Rothschild were created. Jacques de Segur planted the vineyard at that time. We know this because on the 1680 estate manifest, there six mentions to the properties Bordeaux wine vineyards.

.

In the 17 ^th century, the property of Château Lafite was purchased by the Ségur family, including the historic chateau that was built in the 16 ^th century. In 1695, Alexandre de Segur married Marie-Therese de Clauzel, heiress to Chateau Latour. So, within a generation, the Segur family married into two of the greatest Bordeaux wine vineyards, Chateau Lafite and Chateau Latour! When their son, Nicolas-Alexandre passed away, the domains of Chateau Lafite and Chateau Latour were separated.  Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States favored the wine of Chateau Lafite Rothschild and purchased multiple cases of the wine.

 

In 1797, Chateau Lafite Rothschild was sold. In the deed proclaiming the sale, Lafite Rothschild was described as Premier cru of Medoc. This is one of the earliest mentions of Lafite Rothschild producing wines of what would later be classified as First Growth in quality. At the time, the affairs of Lafite Rothschild were managed by the Goudal family. Thanks to the arrival of Goudal, wine loving historians are able to read accurate records of the details of the viticulture and marketing plans for Chateau Lafite Rothschild in the estates formative years.

 

On 8 August 1868, Baron James d’Rothschild purchased Château Lafite Rothschil, which was sold at a public auction as part of the Ignace-Joseph Vanlerberghe succession. The auction was held in Paris in 1868. At this time, Lafite Rothschild was seen as the Premier of the Premiers crus! At that time, the vineyard took up 135 hectares, of which 74 were under vines. In those days, production was much smaller than it is today as it hovered between 4,000 and 5,000 cases. Just 3 months after the purchase, Baron James d’Rothschild passed away and Chateau Lafite Rothschild became the joint property of his three sons: Alphonse, Gustave and Edmond. Since 1868,  Lafite Rothschild has remained in the hands of the Rothschild family who were associated with the French bank.

 

In 1962, the Rothschild family added to their holdings when they purchased Chateau Duhart Milon, also located in the Pauillac section of the Medoc. Owned by the Casteja family for more than a century, Chateau Duhart Milon suffered and was in a dilapidated condition. By the time Duhart Milon was obtained by the Rothschild family, the vineyard was down to only 17 hectares of vines, which required extensive renovations.

 

Baron Eric Rothschild, nephew of Baron Elie, took over the management of Lafite Rothschild in 1974. Baron Eric Rothschild was part of the fifth Rothschild generation to inherit Château Lafite Rothschild Barons David, Edouard, Robert, Nathaniel and Benjamin de Rothschild. In 1984, the Rothschld family added to their holdings with the purchase of Château Rieussec in Sauternes.

 

1987 was not a strong harvest, but because that was the year Lafite celebrated the inauguration of their Bordeaux wine new cellar, the owners had much to be excited about.

 

The new cellars built under the supervision of Catalan architect Ricartdo Bofill, is underground and circular, with a vault supported by 16 columns, giving the structure a majestic and airy style. The cellar holds 2,200 barrels. The construction took two years and was completed in 1988.

 

Domaines Baron Rothschild became one of the first Bordeaux properties to invest in South America when they purchased Vina Los Vascos from a Chilean family. The owners of Lafite Rothschild continued expanding their holdings with the purchase of Château l’Evangile in Pomerol from the Ducasse family, who owned the property for almost 100 years. They also own Chateau Rieussec in Sauternes. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is managed by Charles Chevallier who began his position in 1994.

 

Lafite Rothschild produces an elegant style of Pauillac. Its qualities show cedar, cassis, tobacco, truffle, and spice along with a freshness and purity of fruit. Perhaps, it’s the most refined of the First Growths. The wine, like all First Growth’s takes decades to mature.  It has remarkable staying powers.  Bottles of 1870 Lafite Rothschild discovered in the Glamis castle remain profound at more than 130 years of age! Although I have yet to see one.

 

Prior to 1996, the property had its share of ups and downs.The 1960′s and 1970′s was a dismal period for Lafite Rothschild. Unless they can be picked up for a song, wines from those vintages should be avoided.  But since 1996, Lafite Rothschild has not looked back producing some of the best wine in their history.  Sadly, only multi-millionaires can afford to purchase it today, but there is no denying the level of quality. In 2003 Lafite Rothschild produced a wine that is possibly unequaled by the estate at any time in their long history. 2009 is not far behind.

 

Starting in about 2008, Lafite Rothschild became the most collectible wine from Bordeaux. Prices exploded due to an ever increasing demand from China. Lafite Rothschild became the status symbol of choice. There are multiple theories as to why this happened.  The most widely accepted reason is, Lafite paid for product placement on the number one rated Chinese soap opera on television. Characters in that show were pictured enjoying life with Lafite Rothschild and since that time, prices for Lafite Rothschild have shot up and continue to rise! However, Issac Newton had it right when he declared “What goes up, must come down.” Prices for Lafite Rothschild plummeted after 2011. By 2013, prices were finally holding firm.

 

Lafite Rothschild is the largest of the First Growth properties with close to 112 hectares under vine. In total, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is closer to 78 hectares, but a large portion of that acreage is taken up by heart stoppingly beautiful landscaping, lakes and parkland. This has not changed much since 1868 and is close to what the property had in 1855, when it was deemed to be a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification of the Medoc.  

 

One could divide the vineyards of Chateau Lafite Rothschild into three sections. The estate has close to 50 hectares of vines located close to the chateau. They have about 50 hectares vines planted in the Carruades sector and they own a smaller section of vines that are actually located across the street in the St. Estephe appellation! The vines in St. Estephe total close to 4.5 hectares. The vines are located not far from Cos d’Estournel. The powerful Rothchild family lobbied hard to have that land eventually reclassified so as to allow the vines to be used as a part of Pauillac.

 

The soil with its thick layer of gravel over limestone, elevations and access to water make this one of the finest terroirs in the entire Left Bank! The vineyard of Chateau Lafite Rothschild is planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. On average, the vines are close to 40 years of age. But Chateau Lafite Rothschild has much older vines. In fact, they have some vines that are more than 100 years of age planted in the La Graviere section. That small parcel of vines dates back to 1888. Less than 1% of the vines are that old. Other vines range from 50 to 90 years of age! At Chateau Lafite Rothschild, between 1% and 1.5% of the vineyard is replanted every year. Chateau Lafite Rothschild has a terroir of gravel, sand and limestone with some clay in the soils. The vineyard of Chateau Lafite Rothschild is planted to a vine density of 7,500 per hectare. Only organic fertilizers are used at in the vineyards of Lafite Rothschild. During harvest, the goal is not to pick at the maximum level of ripeness, they are seeking a blend of grapes at differing levels of ripeness.

 

Vinification of Chateau Lafite Rothschild takes place in a combination of wood, stainless steel and concrete vats that range in size, depending on the needs of each specific parcel. The largest vats are the oak tanks at 300 hectoliters. The stainless steel vats are 200 hectoliters. The concrete vats range from 40 hectoliters up to 100 hectoliters. Stainless steel and oak are used for Cabernet. The Merlot is vinified in concrete tanks. Malolactic fermentation occurs in smaller, stainless steel tanks that vary in size from 30 hectoliters up to 70 hectoliters. Chateau Lafite Rothschild is aged in 100% new, French oak barrels for 18 to 20 months, depending on the vintage. The average annual production of Chateau Lafite Rothschild ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 cases of Bordeaux wine per year. There is a second wine, Carruades de Lafite, which due to the name and association with the Grand Cru, has also become extremely collectible. Carruades takes its name from a section their vineyard, located near Mouton Rothschild. There is also a third wine sold as a Pauillac. The blend for Chateau Lafite Rothschild changes with each vintage depending on the character and quality of the vintage. Generally speaking, the amount of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend ranges from 80% to 95%. Merlot is usually 5% to 20%. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot usually varies from 0 to 5%. Note that there are a few differing cases such as 1994 when the wine was made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and in 1961, when the blend was 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot. . Chateau Lafite Rothschild is the most elegantly styled of the three First Growths from Pauillac.  But do not confuse the term elegant with light.  Lafite is also more often than not, those aromatic is the Pauillac First Growths as well with a perfume that fills the air with cedar, cassis, spice, tobacco, truffle and earthy notes.  In the best vintages, this special Bordeaux wine requires decades to develop to its full potential.