Carruades de Lafite 2022

Château Lafite needs little introduction – “the first growth of first growths” according to Clive Coates MW. It’s from Pauillac – the Haut-Médoc’s most majestic expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, full of minty blackcurrant fruit, deep smoky tobacco and pencil lead notes. Their first wine fetches hundreds of pounds a bottle, but from fruit grown in vineyards on the Carruades plain (next to some of the estate’s finest plots), they also make this superb second wine. It has the richness, finesse and style of the Grand Vin, but also a stamp of its own, thanks to more Merlot. Aging in oak barrels for a year adds to the layers of complexity. This claret will improve for years to come, so let the wine breathe for an hour before serving.